Tempest
by xRedxMoonx
Summary: A former thug pulled from the Underground City; her soul is scarred and her heart is cold. Galene Magnolia is a mystery. She is wild, dangerous and has little self-control; but she is more than meets the eye. Her past has turned her into the unpredictable woman she is today; she's a tempest about to unleash and change his world completely... and destroy it beyond repair.
1. One: Underground City

❝ _In this cruel world, only the strong survive. Experience's taught me to leave my emotions and petty, righteous thoughts aside if I want to stay alive; trust is what gets people killed. In the end, human instinct prevails over everything else, and you won't find a single person in this shithole who'd risk their life to save yours - thinking otherwise makes you a fool. When it comes to the push, we're all capable to do unspeakable things in order to keep breathing - we keep fighting. That's the reason I'm alive today_.❞ **ㅡ Galene Magnolia**

CHAPTER ONE:

 **UNDERGROUND**

The underground was a completely different world; there were no birds, the wind didn't blow, and the smell of junk and garbage prevailed in the dirty streets. But, most importantly, sunlight never seeped through; its rays remained blocked by the rocky ceiling above the poor people who had been forced to live inside that hole in the ground due to lack of space or prisons in the cities outside. Criminals of all kind dwelled within; violence, murder and depravation took place in every nook without compunction. Law never stopped by to keep them away; if anything, those with powerencouraged thugs to fight and found joy in the sight of blood and pain. And if that wasn't enough to pose a threat, famine and diseases from lack of sunlight or sanitation did.

Way too many roamed the streets without shelter, yet the only sound that could be heard inside that _cave_ came from the men that wouldn't stop ordering the less fortunate around, as though they were the kings of the city.

 _Well, if they had such privilege, they definitely wouldn't be wasting their pathetic lives down here - surrounded by trash._

Galene Magnolia clicked her tongue in aversion as another pair of men walked past the building on whose balcony she was resting, yelling at each other about - what undoubtedly were - pointless things. Her feet dangled over them as she distractedly swayed her legs and leaned her back against the window behind. The glass was so cold that the thin blouse she wore to cover her torso was useless against it, and Galene would occasionally shiver because of it. Sighing, she ran a hand through her long, red-velvet hair as an attempt to comb it and mentally cursed when her fingers got tangled with the locks.

She mumbled some more curses under her breath before pulling out a cigarette, only to soon realize she didn't have anything to light it. She groaned, "You've got to be kidding me."

Then, her brown gaze fell upon the two men who were still arguing at her feet, and an idea came to her mind. Swiftly jumping off the balcony, Galene approached them with determined steps.

"Got a lighter?" she asked in a flat voice while staring at them with a blank look.

They stopped arguing to look at her.

"Uh?! Look at that, Marco; this scum thinks she can talk to us," one of them snarled.

Her eye twitched in annoyance when his eyes wandered over her body, his expression turning into one of mild-interest as he did. A disgusted grin spread across Marco's face as he approached her.

"She ain't looking that bad, this one. Already got the body of a woman," he mocked.

"That's because I'm a woman, bastard," defended Galene, her lips curled into a sneer as repugnance contorted her pale features.

"And she's a feisty one, as well!" He threw an arm over her shoulders, clueless about the waves of irritation radiating from her. "How about we keep her? Think I'll have some fun wit-"

The words died in his throat as her elbow connected with his stomach, causing him to gasp for breath and bend down. As his body slouched, Galene hit him on the back of his neck with the side of her hand. With wide eyes, the man dropped on the ground; his face slammed against the dirty surface with a thud. Quickly stomping on his head, which elicited a pained grunt from her victim, she drifted her gaze towards the other man. He stood, mouth agape, staring at her with shocked yet fearful eyes.

"I don't like repeating myself, but I'm feeling generous today and am going to give you another chance. Do you have a damn lighter?" she spoke as if she were talking to a child, yet there was a hint of annoyance in her low voice. Her serious face gave away the impression she was running out of patience - something she had never really had.

Not daring to open his mouth, the man tossed the small item at her.

"Now, was it that hard?" Marco moaned in pain, which only earned him another kick that finally managed to knock him out. "Shut your mouth," she demanded as she lit her cigarette. "I'm going to keep this. You don't mind, do you?" Hearing the unspoken threat behind her calm words, he could only shake his head and watch as Galene turned on her heels and walked off.

Humming out of habit, Galene shoved the lighter inside the pocket of her trousers and held the cigarette between her slender fingers as she took a long drag. While wandering down the streets, her mind replayed the situation happening some minutes back. But she felt nothing; no guilt, no satisfaction - nothing. Truth be told, she had stopped feeling anything other than passivity years ago. Maybe that was the reason why she had started to work as a criminal and made a living out of it: the need to find something that could attempt to fulfil her dull life.

 _Well, that's not accurate_ , she thought while narrowing her eyes, knowing her life choices had never been hers to make; they had been forced on her a long time ago. Her present was a mirror of her past, her future yet another layer of thin glass which reflected a life full of torment and secrets.

As she walked by yet another sleeping woman, a shadow crossed her sight and put a stop to her train of thought. It flew over her like a bird, free and fast, catching her interest and attention. Of course, Galene knew who it was - who it worked for, at least. The man cut through the air, firing the grapple hooks and reeling himself forward. Something akin to admiration - more like envy - shone in her bored eyes as she watched him move swiftly above the ground. He suddenly manoeuvred, swirling in the air gracefully, before disappearing around a corner, leaving a trail of gas in his wake.

Not mulling things over for a second, Galene threw the cigarette to the ground and sprung after him. She _had_ to get her hands on one of those gears; it would make her life easier in many ways.

The harder she ran, chasing after the man, the faster her mind formulated a plan to get the equipment without getting caught. The task was difficult beyond question, as it implied robbing from one of the best gangs of thugs living underground. Yet, she wasn't going to let that fact bother her; she liked to believe she was an impressive criminal herself.

Eventually, the man descended into a row of buildings off to her left. Hiding in a nearby alley that ran catty-corner to his landing point, she leaned her back against the wall behind her, obscuring herself in its shade as she assessed the situation. Galene waited there for what seemed to be hours, yet her gaze remained focused on the only window the house seemed to own, until the light inside faded into darkness.

In the Underground City, there was no way to tell the time; with only one big hole above to prevent death by asphyxiation, the only light they managed to see came from thousands of tiny lamps placed on both roofs and walls.

Figuring they would have decided to call it a day, she stood up. After sparing a glance to her surroundings to make sure no one was there, she tiptoed towards the back door. Jumping up the stairs that led to it without making a single noise, she stopped before it and quickly pulled out a pair of pins. Biting her lip out of habit, she focused on unlocking the door.

Soon enough, the satisfying _click_ reached her ears, and Galene cracked the door open. Her heart skipped a beat for the second time that night when a complaining noise emerged from the rusty hinges, immediately driving her to stop dead in her tracks. Her breath hitched, and she waited for a fleeting moment until she was certain no one was in the room, before she stepped in. Her hand clutched the lighter she had _been given_ some hours before, so her feet crossed the dark place without stepping on anything that could be lying around. From time to time, she'd point the wavering flame to the floor to see the way she needed to follow in order to get those-

The lighter fell to the ground the moment someone slammed her against a wall. Her back collided with it painfully, and she gritted her teeth. A groan escaped her lips, before she eventually came back to her senses and became aware of the situation she was suddenly in. The lights were on, and a man just an inch taller than her had trapped her between his body and the wall behind. Ignoring the arm that was preventing the air from filling her lungs, Galene looked up to meet a pair of cold, grey eyes.

"What do you think you're doing, brat?" His voice was smooth, and annoyance was dripping from it. "Do you have a death wish?"

The man was caught off guard when Galene attempted to knee him in his groin, causing him to step sideways to dodge her hit. Taking advantage of his shock, she was quick to free herself from his hold. A scowl crept up to his face, before his hand reached back for a knife, and he quickly pointed it towards her.

"You-"

"Gal?"

For an instant, her attention was diverted by someone she didn't expect to see in that surprisingly-clean place. Her eyes widened ever so slightly when they fell upon the shorter figure of her sister, who stood by the door with a confused yet excited expression spread on her features.

"Isabel, what the hell are you doing here?" Galene demanded to know, her hands placed on her hips as she completely ignored the presence of the annoyed man.

Isabel smiled widely and trotted over, only to pull her older sister into a crushing hug as soon as she was within reach. A hug that wasn't returned, as expected.

"I should ask you the same!" she exclaimed, suddenly eyeing the woman in suspicion. "Who's behind this?"

Galene merely shrugged. "No one; I came here on my own accord."

"How do you know each other? You'd better give me a good reason, or else she won't live beyond tomorrow," the grumpy man threatened, but his eye twitched as he heard the sarcastic scoff coming from the unknown woman.

"Ah? She's my older sister, _big bro_ ," Isabel revealed to the short man, effectively shutting him up as he tried to relate both females. Sure enough, the only thing that the two didn't share was the colour of their eyes; while Isabel's were green as emeralds, the woman's were a dark shade of brown.

"That doesn't explain why she broke in."

As Isabel hummed in agreement, Galene frowned.

" _Big bro_? I don't recall having another sibling, Isabel," she argued, trying to elude the question thrown at her as she grew curious about the association between her little sister and the grumpy man.

"Oh, he's obviously not our brother," Isabel laughed, amused by the mere idea. "He just happened to save my life when some men tried to beat me to a pulp."

At that, Galene felt something she hadn't felt in longer than she remembered: pure rage. Her lips curved into an infuriated scowl, and her eyes narrowed into slits; something Isabel noticed, for she quickly waved her hands in front of her.

"He took them out before they could get a hold of me, Gal!" she explained, as an attempt to calm her down.

"That's right; she's in good hands," another man interjected as he stepped in, walking through the open door with an easy smile plastered on his face. When he was close enough, he stuck a hand towards her. "Name's Farlan, and the grumpy one's Levi. As you've probably noticed, he can be a bit difficult to deal with, but he's a decent guy."

Galene doubted _decent_ was a word that should be used to describe a thug, but she bit back her sarcastic remark. For the first time since Levi had seen her, the corner of her mouth turned upwards to form a slight smirk. She, however, ignored his hand and pursed her lips in thought.

"Galene," she introduced herself before glancing over to Levi, who had moved to his usual spot at the table. "I guess I should thank you."

Levi simply sat back, doing nothing to acquaintance her words, while Farlan gave a shrug.

"It wasn't a problem, really." He smiled. "She's ended up being a great asset to our gang."

"Yeah, it surely seems to be that way," agreed the woman, sending a small nod to her grinning sister before commenting, "No need to break anyone's ribs, then?"

Isabel looked downright terrified; she knew what her sister was capable of. "Of course not!"

"Shame," Galene hummed, before casually turning and rushing out without saying another word.

Aware of the looks she was getting from both men, Isabel turned to them and smiled nervously. "Don't worry. She poses no threat to you."

"As if," Levi retorted with a scoff. "Her bark seems to be louder than her bite."

Letting out a chuckle, Farlan placed a hand on his shoulder and shook his head. "Let's just get along. She's Isabel's sister, right?"

Isabel nodded fervently before their attentions was diverted by the creaking of hinges, and they soon found their eyes following the swaying movements of the back door. Realization crashed upon them like a jar of gelid water, and Levi grumbled under his breath as he noticed the absence of the gear he had been cleaning moments before the woman sneaked inside.

"She… took your equipment," Farlan mused slowly, as if he was trying to comprehend what had happened.

Isabel, on the other hand, let out a short laugh. "That's Gal for you."

While the two got absorbed into an argument about Galene's trick, Levi clicked his tongue in annoyance and walked over to the open door. Scanning the surroundings with sharp eyes, he came to the conclusion it would be pointless to run after her, for she was nowhere to be seen. Probably, she was hiding somewhere she knew they wouldn't find her. As the thought crossed his mind, Levi felt something that almost caused him to smile in anticipation; yet, his lips curved upwards ever so slightly into a _smirk_ instead. His eyes closed as he folded his arms over his toned chest.

Putting the knife away, he turned and gave Isabel an affectionate pat and asked, "Any place in mind where she could have run off to?"

But the girl pursed her lips and let out a soft sigh. "Well, we don't really have a close relationship. She disappeared when we were very young, and even when I found her again after so many years..."

"What?" Levi pressed when she fell silent.

Isabel shook her head. "Why do you think I'm here, with you? I've never had a place to go, and when I ran into her... Gal just stood there, said she was glad I was fine and left."

Clicking his tongue, the short man ran a hand through his jet-black hair and pondered about their options. In the end, he contented himself with muttering, "Brat."

 _I'll find you._

 **Disclaimer** : I do not own any of the material used in the making of the anime/manga, Attack on Titan. All rights are reserved to Hajime Isayama. I do, however, have rights to Galene Magnolia, Jack, Johan, Everhart (characters) and any plot not directly following the anime/manga. This book will have its own "original" plot, but certain scenes might be pulled from the anime/manga to help the story along. It is an open fanfiction for that very same reason.

I am not a native English speaker, so I do realize that there will be some grammar errors that I won't be able to find on my own as I edit the chapters. I ask from you to simply understand that fact, and should you want to point them out for me, I will be more than happy to fix them.

 **Don't hesitate to leave a review!**


	2. Two: Balance

❝ _People who think they know everything are a great annoyance to all of us who do_ _._ ❞ ㅡ **Johan**

CHAPTER TWO:

 **BALANCE**

Galene Magnolia gave a relieved sigh as the door shut behind her, locking out the curious eyes of those who had witnessed her arrival. Dropping the stolen equipment on her unmade bed, she kicked off her worn-out shoes and stretched, eliciting grunts from her knotted back. After her encounter with Levi and his gang, she felt a wave of exhaustion coursing through her body. Nevertheless, a satisfied smirk curled on her lips as her eyes fell upon her new toy. She could already imagine herself flying through the city, and that glimpse of freedom was enough to drive her sour mood away.

Her eyebrows drew together for a fleeting moment as irksome realization washed over her; she would need to study the device before being able to use it, not to mention, find a place to practice without having to worry about the Military Police. Galene was certain they would not hesitate to chase after her were she to stumble upon them, and while getting roughed up was nothing she wasn't used to — even if no person had come close to laying a finger upon her over the last few years—, she couldn't risk having them taking her dimensional gear away.

With a click of her tongue, the woman stalked over to the small fridge standing by the foot of the bed. Reaching inside, she pulled out a bottle of whiskey and sat at the round, wooden table she had recently placed in a corner. Her eyes shifted to give a quick glance around her room, once again noticing the oppressive absence of space, natural light and fresh air. Then again, that was the Underground City itself.

A knock on the door gained her attention, pulling her gaze away from the flickering lamp by the table.

"Get lost," she voiced, loud enough to cut through the wood. Much to her disappointment and annoyance, another knock echoed in the air. The chair complained as she stood abruptly and muttered, "Give me a break, damn it. I just got back."

A young man with curly, brown hair smirked at her when she opened the door, causing her to give an exasperated sigh.

"Not excited to see me, G?" he asked as she rolled her eyes and let him in. Plopping himself on the chair she had been sitting on, he eyed the bottle and hummed. "I see you don't waste time."

Sitting down in front of him, Galene shrugged and took a swig from it. "You never know when you're going to drop dead. May as well enjoy yourself while you're alive, Johan."

With a shake of his head, Johan let out a breathy laugh. "Always the optimistic one. What happened today that got you in such a good mood?"

"I ran into my sister," she replied without hesitation.

A baffled expression crossed his features, before Johan mused, "I thought she was dead."

Her lips pursed into a thoughtful frown, and she ran a hand through her messy hair while leaning back. Of course, she had failed to tell him about her previous encounter with the younger girl; but then again, Galene tended to keep to herself.

"I assumed she was," she commented in a low voice, not giving away her thoughts. _After all, I spent a long time... there._

"Well, it's good news nonetheless," Johan granted, frowning at her apathetic expression as he spoke. "Why didn't she come with you?"

Sending him a look, Galene shrugged. "She's living her life, I'm living mine; simple as that. It's not like I need a damn family to survive; in fact, you know I'm better off without one."

His blue eyes observed her closely as she pulled out a cigarette and lit it; she could feel his worry, his care — all unnecessary; a waste of time, in her opinion. But she didn't comment on it; instead, she offered him a cigarette.

Johan waved a hand in the air, not taking the deathly item from her, and stood. "Not everyone is the same, G."

"No chick-flick moments, J," she cut him off, eyes narrowed upon his tall form. "I'm sure you didn't come all the way from your room to talk about family and shit."

Sighing, the young man crossed his arms over his chest. "Someone wants to hire you."

That made her raise an eyebrow.

"What's the job?"

But Johan shrugged in response. "Didn't want to say. Mentioned it was urgent, though. He's some fat, rich man looking for someone — you — to avoid getting his hands dirty."

"Sounds like the typical pig," she commented with a roll of her eyes before putting the remains of her cigarette away and standing. "Say, do you know of an empty place with a high ceiling?"

Confused, Johan mulled over before replying, "There's a building some streets to the right. Heard the old man who lived there died from starvation yesterday, so it should still be empty. Why?"

Her lips crooked into a smirk as she pointed towards her new equipment, and Johan whistled.

"I'm impressed, G. Wait, did you really steal it from Levi's gang?" he asked with wide eyes, but she winked.

"No way. They just left it there for me to take. Pretty sure that Levi dude was cleaning it when I sneaked inside; I don't know if I'd be able to get it otherwise."

Giving him a playful slap on the upper arm, she picked up the device and walked out — into the rocky hallway.

"Are you going to meet that man?" Johan was curious; she could hear it in his voice as he followed her out.

But she simply shrugged. "Who knows?"

To say her work — and consequently her life — had become easier in so many ways would be an understatement. Ever since she had managed to steal _her_ precious dimensional equipment and had been lucky enough to be a natural learner, a feeling of freedom had spread within her. It had taken away the monotonous life she had been carrying for years; specifically, when she had used it for the first time. The speed of her movements as she crossed the space between the buildings of the city created gusts of wind that accompanied her everywhere. That was why she had soon started to try different things in the air: she swirled, flipped and stopped hastily before jumping gracefully once again.

Avoiding getting caught by the military police was never a problem; the underground was her territory, and she had been running from thugs and angry guards all her life. However, it did surprise her the fact that neither Levi nor his gang had attempted to get the gear back. She guessed Isabel had a lot to do with it; she was a stubborn girl who loved her to bits, having been under her care for years befor—

Another problem she had found herself facing not long after stealing the equipment was the gas — or lack of. Had she known it was needed as fuel, she would have had more time to prepare for the problem of running out of it in the middle of the building she had been training in. Fortunately, Galene had her contacts and people who owed her. So while being forced to look for thugs to get her what she needed was not what she had in mind, she had done it nonetheless and counted now with a large amount of gas at home.

As she cut through the air, a shadow flew past her at admirable speed, grabbing her interest and putting a stop to her train of thought. Recognizing him and realizing it wasn't the military police, her eyes followed him as he increased his pace and swirled around. For a fleeting moment, their gazes met. As a smug smirk crept to her lips, she manoeuvred and turned to her left, instantly disappearing behind the buildings.

Not even a second later, he followed. There was a barely-noticeable glint of interest gleaming in his usually-cold eyes, the ones who now wouldn't leave her form as she attempted to make him lose track of her.

The tall buildings seemed to close in on her as she fled, cutting through the air without sparing a glance back at him as he chased after her. Irritation pounded in her veins, and a feeling of oppression soon followed as she gritted her teeth and sped up. The sound of gas escaping her equipment echoed around her, and she was aware of the trail of white smoke she was leaving as she tiptoed on a wall to round the corner of an empty street.

As her body twisted, she glanced at Levi — she should've known she would end up in a situation like that. However, instead of panicking, something in her mind switched and apprehension faded in a remote distance.

Descending towards the ground, she quickly took an apple from a fat man who was walking by and smoothly rappelled her body to the _ceiling (_ no sky watched over the Underground City). Then, she flipped in the air, as though she had been doing that her whole life. It was so natural, the way she moved.

Her eye caught his, and she threw a playful wink his way; as if she were daring him to follow her. His lips curved into an annoyed grimace, before Levi propelled his body forward, catching up with her in less than two seconds. Without sparing her a glance, he swirled and rounded a corner.

"Show off," she muttered as she rushed after him.

What had started as a chase had turned into a dangerous battle, and now they were dancing in the air; showing their tricks and moves to win first place.

Deciding she had had enough after some minutes, Galene turned and disappeared behind a corner. Her feet touched the roof of a building and she stopped, causing the content feeling that had been boiling through her veins to fade almost immediately. Letting out a sigh, she sat down on the edge and took a deep breath. She startled when another presence she could only guess was Levi joined her and hastily looked at him in evident shock. But if the man noticed, he didn't even attempt to question it and merely lay back, using his arms as a pillow as he relaxed.

"What are you doing?" she demanded to know, surprised by the man's actions. Sure, she had had fun _racing_ with him — not that she was ever going to admit it —, but that didn't mean she wanted to hang out with him.

However, if Levi noticed her discomfort, he once again did nothing to show it.

"What does it look like to you?" he snapped back, his eyes closed as he calmly breathed.

A frown crept to her face as she watched him, a mixture of annoyance and suspicion dancing on her features. Placing a possessive hand over the dimensional gear, she tossed him the apple she had stolen on the way there and was surprised when he caught it.

"I'm afraid I cannot return this to you, but you can keep that apple as compensation."

Levi opened his eyes to send her a blank stare, his expression crystal clear. "Don't be stupid. If I wanted if, I would simply take it and there wouldn't be anything you could do about it," he asserted while tossing the apple back at her.

She wasn't expecting it, so the red fruit simply flew past her before plunging into the void. Within seconds — the time that took her to regain her composure —, she jumped after it. The man was left alone, watching in wonder and curiosity as Galene propelled herself towards the ground, only to shoot upwards moments later.

"I really shouldn't be wasting my time with a jerk like you," she mumbled before sitting back down on the roof, apple in hand.

"How did you manage to learn to use it like that in such a short amount of time?"

Levi snapped her out of her thoughts as he eyed the equipment attached to her hips, his hands still supporting the back of his head.

"Why would you give a damn?" Galene fired back while sending him a knowing look. After receiving nothing but a scowl, the woman shrugged. "I have good balance."

Whether it was to get revenge on her for her teasing from before, or just for his own satisfaction, Levi would never know. But as an expression of utter alarm crossed her features and the apple escaped from her grasp to smash into the ground, he didn't regret pushing her off the roof.

 _Good balance my ass._

Despite the shove catching her off guard, her body responded with cat light reflexes, righting her falling form with the assistance of her new gear. When her body was finally upright and stable all that could be heard was a muffled grown and the words, "You're dead."

He was off before she could catch her breath fully.

And had it not been because the Military Police decided to show up just then and forced her to manoeuvre and flee, Galene would have chased after him and thrown her bitten apple at his damn head.


	3. Three: Cracking Walls

❝ _I've been good with animals all my life. Humans are the ones I have trouble with._ ❞ ㅡ **Isabel Magnolia**

CHAPTER THREE:

 **CRACKING WALLS**

Grey eyes, sharp and focused, scrutinized the city from above, searching for a certain woman with red-velvet hair. While glancing around the streets, Levi felt something akin to eagerness; for some unknown reason, it was becoming a familiar sensation nowadays. No, that wouldn't be accurate at all. Truth be told, the man knew the reason behind such an odd fact, and it irked him to no end.

Why, of all people, did the annoying sister of Isabel have to be the one who made to make him _feel_? It is unconscionable to apply the words _romantically infatuated_ to how Levi felt about that cocky little shit, yet he couldn't place his eagerness to see her. It irritated him beyond belief how she had invaded his mind and gotten under his skin enough to break down his emotional walls of self-preservation, but he was damn sure he wouldn't let her get any closer.

One would think - after coming to such a conclusion — that he would just stay away so he wouldn't have to face that problem. Yet again, it seemed part of him enjoyed the churning sensation in his stomach, and Levi found himself unable to avoid her; hence his irritation towards his own judgement — or lack of it.

"Tch, that annoying idiot."

She was slowly driving him mental.

Clicking his tongue in annoyance, he cursed aloud as his gaze kept looking for the elusive woman. His hand reached for his hair to run his slender fingers through his dark locks, and his eyes closed in exasperation. It was always like that; whenever he tried to find her, it would be to no avail. Oddly enough, it was her who had an unnerving tendency to localize him, as though she had some kind of radar.

Trusting his instincts, Levi sat down on the edge of the roof before laying down on its cold surface. As time went by, he suddenly couldn't help but rethink his decision of letting the woman join the three of them in their mission.

That same morning, a rich man with chubby face and an arrogant attitude had showed up demanding to talk to his group. At first, Levi had been forthright and harsh, for he would never abase himself so much as to make a deal with their ilk. For all he cared, they could die in a hole filled with titans. However, much to his dismay, the man was not taking 'no' for an answer, and considering he didn't seem to have a problem repeating over and over again that he was rich enough as to allow himself to give away a lot of money and not end up missing it, Levi hadn't been able to say a word in the matter.

" _On one condition_ ," he had argued nonetheless, not pleased in the least but determined to make the most out of such inconvenient situation. " _Someone else will join us_."

The only teenager present had spoken up then, curious and partly aware of her friend's intentions. Both Farlan and Isabel knew the short man had been frequently meeting with the older of the Magnolia sisters whenever they found themselves with time to spare, and suspicion had risen in their minds.

" _Are you talking about Gal?"_

Before Levi had been allowed to give an answer, laughter erupted from the rich man, and then he had stared him down as if he were a joke.

" _Galene?_ _Already tried talking her into this,"_ he revealed. " _One of my men is in the hospital because of that ungrateful bitch, but she got away before I could do something about it_."

 _More like, before I could call my men to do the work for me_ , Levi had thought, repulsed and enraged by the man's words.

" _She wouldn't listen_."

But Levi had merely hardened his stare.

" _She will listen to me_."

What had made him think it'd be that easy? Nothing — Levi just wanted the man to shut his filthy mouth. And he had, thus why Levi had felt satisfied for the time being. However, now that he thought about it, he didn't have a clue as to how he was going to convince her.

"Still sleeping? You're such a lazy ass, Levi," a voice he recognized way too well snapped him back to reality.

His eyelids fluttered open to reveal a pair of grey orbs, which were greeted by the bemused face of Galene. The woman had both hands placed on her hips as she stared at him from above, an arched eyebrow directed at him as though she were expecting him to do something. Grunting under his breath, Levi sat up and waited for her to join him on the edge of the roof, which she did after a moment of hesitation.

"Why did you turn down his offer?" Levi asked straightforward, referring to the rich man with whose men she had gotten into a fight.

"Since when do you give a rat's ass about what I do?" she answered his question with one of her own; the words rolled off her tongue with parsimony while she pulled out a cigarette.

"Tch, you're daft if you think I do," he retorted.

Nevertheless, the corner of her lips curled up into a slight smirk.

"I should have figured that scum would go to you. But honestly, I don't care," she commented with a casual shrug. "Did you accept?"

Levi scoffed; the thought _amused_ him. "We didn't have a choice in the matter."

"We always have a choice," Galene muttered as her eyes stared off into the distance.

When silence was her only reply, she mentally shook her head and lit the cigarette.

"Oi, stop smoking, brat," Levi demanded in a harsh voice, eyeing the item with repulsion as he did.

As usual, much to his disgust, the woman merely shrugged him off and kept on taking drags on her cigarette. It was a vicious circle: he'd demand for her to quit smoking, and she'd ignore him while waving her hand around; as if she were trying to get rid of an annoying fly.

"I've been thinking —"

The cigarette was taken away from her mouth as she was about to take another drag, which startled her and stopped her mid-sentence. Slowly, Galene turned her head to the man, who was tossing the small item to the street below them. It was probably then when the woman realized how important he was becoming to her, and how much she treasured his friendship.

They had known each other for a couple of months, but their interactions had only become more frequent as the days had gone by. What had started off as mere interest and entertainment was slowly developing into one of the deepest, most cherished relationships they had had.

"You will stop smoking," he ordered as his eyes glared into hers.

Galene stared aghast into his burning gaze as her previous realization shook her from head to toes. However, in spite of her judgement, she pushed away the warning alarms going on in her head and made the decision that was going to change her life. A smirk tugged at the corner of her lips, and her face contorted into an expression of pure amusement.

"And you will get me out of here," she concluded, which earned her a barely-noticeable look of bewilderment from the man next to her.

 _That was easier than expected_ , Levi thought.

Seeing they both were satisfied with how things had been solved out, they allowed a comfortable silence to fall upon them. After some minutes of calm, Levi lay down and resumed his position on the ground, his arms under his head as support.

"Levi."

The man grunted in response. Seriously, he couldn't have a moment of peace if Galene was around; he could've sworn she annoyed him on purpose.

"What?" he snarled while opening his eyes to send her an exasperated look, which — if she ever noticed — she did a great job ignoring.

"Lend me an arm."

"No."

Galene glared at him. "So much for asking."

"You didn't ask, brat."

And was he right; she had a _subtle_ way when it came to requesting things — mind the irony on _subtle_. It was curious how much she resembled yet also contrasted to her younger sister.

"What the hell are you doing?" Levi demanded to know when he felt the — by now — familiar pressure on his stomach.

Galene merely glanced at him from the corner of her eye, a serene expression plastered on her pale face. Her head lay comfortably on his stomach, and some locks of her red hair tickled his chest as they caressed the bare skin that showed between the open buttons of his loose shirt. Much to his dismay, Levi had learned through months of meetings it was pointless to try to get her off of him, and if he succeeded in the task, she would just punch him square in the stomach and resume her position as if nothing had disturbed her.

"I can see right through you, Levi," she muttered then, ignoring his question in the process. "You do care."

Levi just clicked his tongue in vexation and closed his eyes again. Amused by his stubbornness, her hand reached for his and her gaze fixed on the fresh mark drawn on his palm.

"It was a peculiar way to stub out a cigarette," she mused, which earned her a glare from the man.

"I couldn't stand the smoke," Levi defended. "It's filthy and repulsing, and you're annoying."

Galene arched an eyebrow while dropping his hand.

"Glad to know you like me that much," she replied with a fake smile. "Next time, stub it out on your face; maybe that way your sour mood will finally go away. Seriously, it should be considered a chronic condit-."

A surprised yelp escaped her throat as she was pushed off of his stomach, and consequently, of the roof.

 _I really don't know why I bother_ , she thought as she returned to where he still sat.

"I swear to God, if you push me again I will punch you so hard your face will sink into your damn skull."

In the end, he did know why he bothered:

Galene Magnolia was such an interesting woman... _and so easy to rile up_.

"Meet us here tomorrow by one in the afternoon," he then voiced. "I will give you a summary of the mission and your role in it. If you fuck it up, I'll snap your neck."

Rolling her eyes at the empty threat, the woman waved him goodbye before clicking her tongue in irritation. "That's when I have lunch, asshole." For some reason, a voice in her head was telling her he was aware of it.


	4. Four: Clash

**A/N:** Thanks to _bbymojo_ for leaving a comment!

* * *

❝ _If there's something you don't understand, learn to understand it. It's well worth any risk of our lives._ ❞ ㅡ **Hange Zoë**

CHAPTER FOUR:

 **CLASH**

As expected — or as Galene had hoped —, Levi had kept his word and let the young female join in their promising mission. For some strange reason, the group had taken the news surprisingly good; to the point that Isabel had squealed, and Farlan would have hugged her had she not jumped out of his reach. Subsequently, both of them had exchanged some conspicuous glances of confidence; which Galene had decided not to notice.

After discussing the plan, in which Galene's opinion had been completely ignored, the gang had left the security provided by their sorry-excuse-of-a house and sprung into action.

Less than amused by the fact she had been ordered to watch their backs as they attracted their target, Galene scowled and followed soon after. While keeping her distance, Levi's words echoed in her mind.

 _"You'll be supporting us from behind, since you can't do teamwork."_

Now, as much as she hated to admit it, Galene knew he was right and had made the correct decision if they wanted their plan to work. However, when she had accepted to join in, she wasn't expecting to be placed in the rear guard. Somehow, even understanding Levi's judgement, she couldn't help but feel she was being underestimated.

 _Swallow your ego for a moment. You won't need them when you're outside_ , she told herself.

And just by the mere thought of being alone once again, having no people ordering her around, she felt better. However, for some unknown reason, an uneasy feeling began to form in the pit of her stomach.

The familiar sound of gears snapped her out of her thoughts, immediately calling for her attention. She didn't need to spare a glance over her shoulder to know they had been spotted, but she did nonetheless. There were five of them, all of whom wore green capes and moved across the air with ease and swiftness. Quickly looking forward, Galene propelled herself towards her comrades, and after warning them about their pursuers, proceeded to hide in the shade provided by a pair of huge buildings. Soon enough, the Survey Corps flew past her, and even though the fact of having gone unnoticed disturbed her in the beginning, she dissipated her worries and chased after them.

Keeping a safe distance from the soldiers, she noticed how Farlan and Isabel rounded different corners as an attempt to make the soldiers lose track of them, but they were instantly followed by four of their pursuers; which left only one of them to catch Levi.

One of her eyebrows arched at that, and her features contorted into a grimace of incertitude. However, instead of feeling insulted due to the insignificant merit given to Levi, the woman saw through their plan and rushed after them.

Quantity did not imply quality, and vice versa.

 _"Follow one of them_ — _Isabel or Farlan_ — _to make sure the plan goes as expected."_

 _To hell with your orders_ , Galene thought. _Those two are capable enough to handle a pair of soldiers_.

Had she not been so caught up in anger, she would have noticed the figure tracking her down. Galene was way too focused on Levi's form as he swirled while escaping from his captor, and by the time she realized she was being followed, it was too late. The sound of someone's gear approaching her from behind brought Galene back to the task at hand, and tearing her focused gaze from Levi, she glanced over her shoulder. A woman dressed in the same clothes as the rest of their pursuers was propelling herself towards her at an incredible speed, which only managed to light a fire in the redhead's heart. From her spot, hanging between two buildings, Galene could catch sight of the excited grin on the woman's face and the daring stare gleaming in her eyes, which hid behind big glasses.

Whether it was the unexpected sight or the fact that she had failed to notice her presence what made her grow angrier, she didn't know nor did she care. But what she knew was that she had been discovered, and consequently, she wasn't the backup anymore. Her instincts told her to confront the threat, as she had learned to do over the years; however, the rational part of her mind convinced her to do otherwise.

Pivoting mid-air, Galene reeled herself in the direction Levi had followed as fast as she could. Rounding corners and breaking through tiny spaces, she tried to stray her pursuer. Adrenaline ran through her veins as she continued swirling and flying away, her muscled tensed and relaxed as the ropes launched her in different directions forcefully. But, much to her dismay, the sound of gear kept following her, meaning her efforts were being pointless. In fact, it didn't surprise her in the least; considering the Survey Corps went through training in order to face titans — or so she supposed, for she had not been outside that city to witness any of that. However, Galene couldn't help but feel a bit impatient about it as well; she had no time to waste.

She narrowed her eyes; the ridiculous grin she was receiving from the woman was beginning to really irk her.

Thus, upon realizing her efforts were useless, she quickly created a different strategy in her mind. It was probably the worst idea she had ever come up to, but Galene was _almost_ certain it would work; she just had to wait for the right moment and keep the woman at bay.

-#-

The moment Levi's eyes fell upon the guilty faces of his friends, a scowl as big as his head appeared on his face. That useless woman was nowhere to be seen, and he bet she had just done what she had felt like instead of following his orders. He shouldn't be surprised, really, considering Galene had never been one to heeding. But, as the man before him threw him into a retail of questions he didn't feel like answering, Levi could only think in ways of killing her. That was, until he was pushed to the dirty ground, where his face smashed with a thud. Then, the feeling of hatred towards Erwin Smith ㅡ Commander of the Survey Corps, also known as the Scouting Legion ㅡ became so strong he stopped thinking about the woman whose rebellious attitude had put them into that messy situation.

"I'm going to ask only one more time," Erwin started as he stared down at him. "Where did you learn to use those?"

Before any of them could mutter a word though, movement caught his attention from the corner of his eye. A crack was heard when the reason of his never-ending headache and another woman crashed onto the dirty ground behind them. Not lifting his foot from Levi's face, Erwin Smith turned his head to look at the two women as they rolled one over another.

"Hange," he spoke with authorization, calling for her attention. "Explain."

Knowing better than to disobey Erwin, Hange sent Galene one last glance and stood up. There was a bump already forming on her head from when the robber had hit her with a rock, and her clothes where covered in dirt. But, if any of that bothered her, she didn't show it. Instead, a satisfied expression was spread across her features as she stared at Erwin.

"You were right; she followed you. But you wouldn't expect what she did when she noticed me." Hange did a dramatic pause that managed to anger Levi even more. "She crashed into a window some men were carrying —"

She stopped talking when a knife was placed on her neck, pressing the jugular just enough to draw a tiny trail of blood. A bitter, humourless laugh echoed then, and Levi's eyes watched in slight shock as Galene came into view. Two soldiers attempted to approach her but were stopped by Erwin, who observed the woman with interest.

Her hair was messy and stuck to her skin due to the sweat, her face was covered in dirt, and blood seeped from the wounds that decorated it. Considering she had smashed into a glass, she looked exactly as expected. However, Galene seemed to be doing her best to ignore the pain squeezing every inch of her body and scrutinized the man before her with narrowed eyes.

"Gal," he heard Isabel gasp in horror, but she was held back when she made an attempt to approach her sister.

"How about you stop beating around the damn bush?" Galene hissed, rage flowed across her furrowed features the same way blood did from her skin. "I _tricked_ you. I hit you with a rock. You dropped unconscious to the ground. So simple."

"That's correct. But it wasn't a simple plan in the end, seeing as you got so injured you couldn't take a step without swaying on the spot," Hange mussed, not bothered by the fact she was being held and threatened by a knife.

Silence fell upon them for some seconds, then the man whose foot was pressed against Levi's face grabbed his attention. While ignoring the dangerous situation his friend was in, he glanced down at Levi with a serious expression on his face.

"This is what I offer to you," he began. "Your friend over there will receive treatment for her injuries, and you will all join the Scouting Legion, as trainees. No charges." When Levi didn't respond and only let out a discontent grunt, Erwin frowned. "Think fast. There is quite a large amount of cuts on her; she's going to lose conscious soon."

His grey eyes drifted to the woman in question and immediately clashed with her blazing gaze as she stared back at him. Levi knew what had to be done; the plan was still the same, even though it was being more difficult than expected. However, if he had learnt something about Galene, it was that her priorities could change in the blink of an eye whenever emotions got in the way. And as she looked at him with burning, penetrating eyes, Levi could see the anger and frustration gleaming in them. Sadly, there was nothing he could do to persuade her not to throw everything out of the window; not verbally, at least. If Erwin saw the smallest of the hesitations, he could change his mind about his offer; and that'd mean the end of their lives — in both physiological and physical ways.

So for the very first time in his life, Levi let his emotionless façade drop and sent a look up, effectively guiding her gaze to follow his. It was one last attempt to make her focus on what mattered most, on the issue behind those actions.

They were going to be allowed to live up in the real world, where the sun glowed and the air was pure.

His eyes casted downwards to meet hers once again, and Levi was greeted by a different sparkle. From his spot — still tasting the disgusting ground, much to his discomfort —, he could almost heard the gears whirring in her head as she debated against herself. The knife she was griping in her hand wavered a little, but Hange didn't move a finger. For some seconds, Levi watched Galene struggle in silence and when her hand tried pointlessly to wipe away the blood that trailed down her forehead, he finally snapped.

"Galene."

The name rolled off his tongue so swiftly yet forced at the same time, as if he wasn't supposed to call her that way. Truth was, it was the first time he said it aloud, for Levi had always used a special kind of greeting — he seemed particulary fond of _brat_.

Silence enveloped the atmosphere as both robbers regarded each other in what seemed to be a conversation no one else could understand, their eyes locked in a penetrating stare. Finally, after a minute or two, a defeated sigh escaped her lips, and Galene let the knife drop to the ground. However, her guard remained up as Hange took some steps away from her, and Levi knew it wouldn't take her more than two seconds to attack again if needed.

The looks of disbelief crossing Isabel and Farlan's faces were ignored, and Levi gave out a final grunt before the man freed him. With a satisfied smile, Erwin Smith motioned for the soldiers to lose their grips on the small party group and sent Levi a pleased smile.

"Welcome to the Scouting Legion."


	5. Five: Bickering

❝ _The only thing we're allowed to do is to believe that we won't regret the choice we made._ ❞ ㅡ **Levi Ackerman**

CHAPTER FIVE:

 **BICKERING**

There was something beautiful about the world above, something magical. For starters, fresh breeze blew from a long-lost horizon, ruffling the work of both humans and nature with soft hands. Non-artificial flowers decorated the bushes which guarded the path through which the robbers were being led. In one word, Galene would describe it as colourful — pure, even. Never in her life had she witnessed such battle of colours; from the darkest of blues tainting the sky to the bright green in which the ground swam.

It was utterly stunning, far more impressive than what she had been expecting. Because she had dreamed so, so many times of the infinite beauty that would be waiting away from that dirty hole in the ground, but reality did prevail over fantasy. And for the first time ever, she was glad it was that way.

There was something else about it, however; way more wonderful than what lay below her feet, better yet than the soft breeze of the night. When her brown eyes glanced into that sea of stars to welcome the powerful moonlight, Galene was overwhelmed by a sensation of freedom; as if the fact that she was outside had repentantly sunk in. Her gaze had been so focused on that seemingly-tiny ball of pure light, that her foot had collided with a rock on the path and she had stumbled.

Her comrades had not showed any sign of having heard her unusual lack of grace, for they were drowned in a state of befuddlement themselves.

She breathed out, prey to absolute amazement, and breathed in afterwards; if only to taste that freshness in the air thoroughly. However, as everything wonderful in life, an abrupt end took it all away.

The group of robbers had been led to a large gate, on whose other side stood the quarters of the Survey Corps in all their magnificence. Oddly enough, a single building greeted them once the entrance was unlocked; big enough to give shelter to the whole squadron, yet not so much to harbour room for training or whatever other activity the soldiers did in order to prepare themselves to face the gruesome Titans.

"We're here. I expect you to behave," the deep voice of Erwin Smith called out.

Grunting lowly under her breath, Galene hardened her gaze on the blond man but refrained from speaking her thoughts aloud as her sister stepped in her sight. Her green eyes watched her warily, as though she was expecting an attack any moment then. Nevertheless, the youngest of the Magnolia siblings remained quiet, knowing better than to block her way; she had experienced first-hand how stubborn and volatile Galene was.

"I won't be babysitting you, brat. So stop wasting my time."

Galene titled her head to glare at the short man. "Last time I checked," —her lips pursed into an amused smirk— "you seemed to enjoy spending your free time cleaning up the house. And to be honest, you actually look like a nanny."

"I will kill you."

"Behave, Levi, behave."

Turning back to the man in charge, she gave him no time to retort and strutted in — not after sparing Erwin a disdainful glance, though. The ground was vacant of life, she observed as she followed the Commander — who apparently had made it his mission in life to get in her way as frequent as possible — through the silent yard. No soul came out to see them in; perhaps because it was past midnight.

"Do they actually have curfew?" she muttered, torn between amusement and irritation.

"Yes, _you_ have," Erwin corrected, only to earn himself an unimpressed stare.

"Funny."

Galene wasn't used to be ordered around; having grown up within the environment she had — with no parents to educate her, and basically only trusting her own judgement to survive — no one had ever dared to try disciplining her. If there was something about which she was certain, it was that she would not follow anyone's orders but hers.

"Like I care about that," Levi cut in, wearing his usual stoic expression as he glanced at his surroundings.

Next to him, Isabel stretched her arms over her head and yawned.

"I just want to sleep," she slurred.

"That's new. What happened?"

Turning to Farlan — who watched her in amusement —, she puffed her cheeks and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Don't look so surprised. I'm —"

"— a very hyperactive human."

"Hyperactive humans do sleep, too."

"Oi, shut your mouths already," Levi demanded.

Galene sighed.

"Now you've done it." She glanced back at them with a disapproving expression. "You've brought back Nanny Levi. And I had just sent h—Oi, don't go kicking your leg like that. You're going to hurt your tiny self."

Before the short man was able to deliver an attack on her, the Commander spoke up, "Stop making a fuss. Hange, I can see you laughing." Said woman sobered up and coughed as to hide her amusement, yet was awarded a reprimanding glance. "If you have yet to realize, I've specifically brought you in at this hour to avoid trouble."

Her features contorted into an expression of vexation upon hearing his words — of course she had noticed. Due to curfew, they would spare themselves the questioning; they, as in the lot of soldiers who dragged the robbers in. Because there was no doubt, those four would be encountering insulted, baffled amateurs bearing disgusted looks and carrying questions; demanding to know the reason why a group of criminals would be receiving the same lessons they were; as if they were but garbage, with no human rights whatsoever.

There would be a commotion then, Galene was certain. But to be honest, she couldn't care less. As soon as their job was finished there, she would be the first to grab her stuff and leave that place. She had yet to decide on what she would spend the money that will fall into her hands when their mission was accomplished — the eagerness to be free was so overwhelming at times, that her mind would just turn off and she would forget about her purpose.

For all she cared, those soldiers could throw a tantrum as big as their egos. She wouldn't be there long enough to witness the outcome.

The rest of the _tour_ was short-lived, and mostly quiet — because Isabel seemed to be too tired to suppress her yawns and constant sighing. Inside the building, torches hanging on the walls battled against darkness and showed them their way down infinite hallways. Oddly enough, the atmosphere was chilly; as though they didn't mind sleeping while freezing to death. No one complained about it, nevertheless — _what good would it do, anyway?_

The hallways were narrow, so much that she was constantly bumping shoulders with the woman who refused to let her out of her sharp sight. Each of those times, Galene would click her tongue in annoyance and try to stick to the wall as much as possible. It amused Hange, as her smirk would widen considerably.

Galene narrowed her eyes. Her hands itched to punch the irksome soldier, grab her by the neck and send her rolling down the stairs they were currently following.

Erwin stopped by what could possibly be the most isolated room in the building, opened the door and motioned for them to follow him in. A few soldiers stood by it, however, looking unsure for some reason.

"You are dismissed."

They scattered away like rats, causing Galene to snort mockingly. "Loyalty seems to be lacking these days."

"Coming from a thief, I don't know how to respond to that," Erwin stated.

She merely sent him a blank stare, for she refused to give him any other kind of acknowledgement.

"This is huge!" exclaimed her sister as the robbers were left alone — but not before Erwin spoke about the importance of punctuality.

The room was spacious; that was for sure. But it lacked everything a proper bedroom would have; in fact, had it not been for the four beds leaning on each wall, Galene would have mistaken it for a stable. Giving a quick glance to the floor, her nose furrowed at the sight of the immeasurable amount of dust decorating the wood.

"This is filthy," Levi refuted.

He pulled out a chief and used it as a shelter, covering his face up until his eyes. Farlan shook his head in amusement, but Galene couldn't let the opportunity slip away.

"Suits you; gives a break to my sore eyes."

"I will kill you, brat."

"That would be rude as hell."

"You damn woman."

"You're seriously like a married couple."

"I will kill you too, Isabel."

"Seriously, stop threatening people with killing them."

Farlan cleared his throat, if only to stop the two from bickering — or jumping down their throats. He sat down on one of the beds as Isabel lazily got up from hers, loudly yawning in the process.

"How are we going to proceed?" he asked, referring to their mission. "Are we just gonna, you know, distract him somehow?"

Isabel nodded fervently. "And someone will sneak in and steal the —"

"That won't work."

Isabel pouted and turned towards the short man, who was standing next to the only window in the room.

"For once, I agree," admitted Galene with crossed arms. "As much as I hate to admit it, this guy isn't an idiot. If this damn scroll contains something so relevant it's worth the money that pig is willing to pay us, Erwin won't leave it unprotected."

A glance was thrown her way, one impressed that was replied with a wink. Levi sighed and drifted his gaze back to the glowing moon.

"In addition, we're already under his watch," he added.

Isabel frowned. "But we can't just... wait until we're accepted as everyone else. That won't happen."

"What do you suggest, then?" he retorted, not angry but exasperated.

It was then when Farlan spoke up, silencing everyone with four simple words. Even Galene, who had closed her eyes and tuned out from the conversation due to its futility, perked up.

"Galene can do it."


	6. Six: Temper

❝ _Sometimes too much pain turns a soft heart into stone._ ❞ ㅡ **Galene Magnolia**

CHAPTER SIX:

 **TEMPER**

The room was quiet — what with only the occasional snoring of Farlan, or the brushing of sheets as Isabel rolled over for the umpteenth time breaking the silence. The single window within the place was slightly opened, as to let the fresh breeze of the night crawl inside. No curtain concealed the moonlight, not anymore; and thus a tiny path of white light touched the faces of those who slept inside.

A frustrated grunt was heard, before a man whose height could be one of a child threw the covers away from his body. He sat up, drifted his glaring eyes towards the moon and then let out a heavy sigh, as if he was done with being awoken in the middle of the night.

After some seconds of mulling his options over, Levi let his eyes wander around the room. They narrowed upon stopping on the farthest bed; no one was lying on it, sleeping the exhaustion of the day away like they were all doing — or trying to do, at least.

 _That brat._

Rubbing his temples as to get rid of the headache which was already coursing through, Levi eventually got up and left the room.

The hallway was dark as expected, dimly illuminated by torches hanging on the walls. As he made his way up the stairs, his mind travelled back to his first time in that asphyxiating building, and his lips stretched into a smug smirk. He remembered how that soldier whose hair seemed to have been licked by a cow — Erwin was his name, he recalled — had been rather adamant when it came to following the rules to which they lived. Having curfew was probably the most annoying — and therefore, the easiest to break — of all.

His feet led him far from their room, up to the roof to which — he had long since learned — one could get through a locked door. When he got to it, however, he was not surprised to find it unlocked.

The night was cold, the breeze chilling and silence prevailed in the streets which surrounded the building.

Galene didn't look at him when the man sat down next to her, kept staring straight into the horizon with unblinking eyes. He knew that expression on her face — probably, too well. She was lost in thought; perhaps, wondering why she had made the deal with him, if she'd be better off down in that hole — by herself.

"Fancy meeting you here," she acknowledged his presence after a minute of silence, but she didn't spare him a glance. "Tell me, did the towel work?"

Levi clicked his tongue in utter annoyance as he mentally replayed how the item had flown out of the window the second he had tried to cover it up, in an absurd attempt to keep the moonlight away from his face.

Instead of giving her the satisfaction of knowing she had — once again — gotten on his nerves, a slap was delivered to the back of her neck. Her eyes snapped towards him, flashing in outrage. "What the hell, Levi?"

"Your lack of conscience bothers me."

At that, she cracked a mocking smirk. "Did Erwin reprimand you again?"

Truth be told, Levi was having a hard time dealing with her constant, effective attempts to spur chaos wherever she went. It had only been a week since they had left that hole in the ground, freed themselves from the misery in which they had lived through their entire lives. However, his last addition to the gang had managed to get into two fights, all of which had ended in yet more trouble — for both her and him.

He had expected their arrival to be complicated; that much was evident. Nevertheless, part of him had held onto a tiny ray of hope — _she will behave_ , he had forced himself to believe —, one which had faded like dust the first time they had stepped outside the building. The judging glares had been there to greet them, along with the whispers and gossiping; word had gotten out and provoked a thunderstorm among the soon-to-become soldiers. He had ignored them all; he wouldn't stoop to their level.

However, Galene had done quite the opposite, and before they knew it, she had punched a trainee square in the face. Muttering to herself what definitely were profanities, she then had proceeded to glare at his lying body.

To say they had caused a bad, first impression was an understatement, but they couldn't care less about it. He only wished to stop being reprimanded on her behalf, or else he was certain he would snap.

Levi glared at her. "Why I get _scolded_ because of your actions is beyond my reasoning."

Not fazed by his irritation, Galene shrugged. "He must be fond of you."

She was mocking him; he was certain of that. But she had no idea as to why the Commander went to Levi whenever she got into trouble; only he knew. However, Levi couldn't help but roll his eyes at the reason he had given him.

 _"You are the leader of this... gang, as I see it. If those three are going to listen to someone, it's you."_

That blond head of idiocy was surely optimistic if he believed Galene, of all people, would be willing to listen to anyone other than herself.

"Hey, Levi," —her voice had no lost all traces of humour— "how do you feel about this place?"

An eyebrow arched as the question reached his ears. She was looking at the city, frowning ever so slightly as her eyes wandered around the quiet streets.

"Do you truly feel... free?" she kept on. "Is this how our lives will be like from now on?"

No answer came; as before he could say anything, the door opened.

"Told you they would be here, Farlan."

"You also said they had gone to the kitchen," the man replied, an amused smile played on his lips as the youngest of the Magnolia sisters blushed in embarrassment.

"Galene is always hungry, so that was my first thought."

The two laughed but sobered up when the glare of said woman fell upon them, freezing them on the spot.

"Why are you here, Isabel?" her sister asked as the girl sat down on her other side.

She glared at Farlan, then pouted and crossed her arms over her chest. "Farlan fell off the bed and woke me up."

"I also woke myself up," Farlan piped in.

He had sat down next to Levi, who had yet to utter a word and had an odd expression on his face; as if he was thinking hard about something.

"Tomorrow is the day, uh?" Isabel commented. "Are you sure it's going to work?"

Galene hummed in thought. "I have studied his habits. He leaves his office at the same time every day to supervise the training grounds, comes back after an hour, then leaves again to have lunch...; he follows a rather inflexible schedule," she concluded.

"Impressive," Farlan praised.

"Still, anything can go wrong."

Isabel threw her arms up, exasperated. "As optimistic as always, Gal."

"It's called realism," she defended. "I've been doing this long enough to know that no plan guarantees succeed, no matter how perfect it may be."

Her sister puffed her cheeks, but kept her thoughts to herself. "I can't wait to get that money and—"

"—live like a queen. We know, Isabel, we know."

She threw a tiny rock at Farlan, but her aim was something she had been told to improve many times, and her attack never reached its expected target. As the stone connected with Levi's sin, everyone held their breaths. Except for Galene, who — as an attempt to supress her laughter — was biting on her lip so hard her eyes were watering.

Taking them by surprise, however, the short man gave out a sigh. He stood up, ruffled Isabel's hair tenderly, before slipping his hands in his pockets.

"Sorry, _big bro_ , you were in the way."

"Next time, hit this one," he suggested while poking the amused woman on the back with his foot, which earned him a disapproving look.

"I can feel your love."

His eyes locked on hers then, catching them in his usual, burning gaze.

"And I can see what you are doing." He shook his head, then turned around and headed for the door. "Feel _free_ to go when you are ready."

-#-

The sun was high in the sky by the time Galene stepped out of the room. The hallway was silent, what with no soldiers walking down it; they were all outside, attending yet another lesson or training. For the plan to work, the woman had been _sadly_ forced to skip it — and she would be facing the consequences later on, were she to be caught.

Her eyes narrowed when she slipped out of the building, in an attempt to hide from the glaring rays of the sun. No cloud was in sight, so the day seemed promising — ironically speaking. The woman was fonder of a cloudy sky, with the occasional gust of rain which would soak her to the bone, than of the heat of a sunny day.

She glanced at her surroundings from the corner of her eye, never stopped walking as she did; she had to be fast, but couldn't risk to be seen. With only one chance at getting the scroll and consequently the liberty she so much desired, she was willing to shed blood and tears if needed.

However, karma had found its entertainment in her.

"And what do we have here?"

She knew that voice — how could she not? Her insides churned in repugnance at the mere sound of it, but an alarm had gone off in her head.

The young man was leaning on a wall, hands in pockets and signature smirk on. Blue eyes laughed at her when she turned to give him an apathetic glance.

"What do you want, Jake?"

His gaze turned cold, then.

"It's Jack."

"As in jackass? Suits you."

He marched towards her, hands no longer inside his pockets but clenched into fists. At the sight of his swollen nose, Galene could not help but feel quite pleased; she had introduced herself the best way she could.

"What are you doing here?" he pressed. "You should be with the rest, training."

Galene narrowed her eyes. "Who the hell named you boss? I don't take orders from scum like you."

"I despise your attitude," he shot back. "You think so high of yourself, don't you? You and those friends of yours are nothing but rats living among a superior spec—"

A punch shut him up and threw him to the ground. Then, the woman crouched next to him and pulled at his hair to force his eyes on her.

"You seem to need to be reminded of how not to speak to me," she hissed, irked; his whines fuelled her anger. "Perhaps another visit to the hospital will help you remember."

"S-stop."

Blood stained his mouth as he begged for her to halt the torture on him. Galene regarded him for some seconds before loosening her grip and standing up. For a fleeting moment, she wondered whether to continue her assault or not.

In the end, she sighed through her nose. "You are pathetic."

"And you are under arrest... again."

Without a warning, arms rounded hers and seized her. Her heart plummeted towards her stomach as the man whose scroll she should've already stolen, walked up to her.

Erwin Smith shook his head in disappointment.

"Did you really think I was unaware of your intentions?" He waved a hand, motioning for someone to approach. "Get the other three and bring them to my office. I will take her myself."


	7. Seven: I'd Find You

_Aerynx_ : Thank you for your review! I'm glad you're enjoying it so far, and yes, we will get to see more Hange-matchmaking moments ;)

 _vivian141991_ : Your review made my day. I'm so happy to hear Galene is realistic and you like her that much!

* * *

❝ _You can't change anything unless you can discard part of yourself too. To surpass monsters, you must be willing to abandon your humanity._ ❞ ㅡ **Armin Arlet**

CHAPTER SEVEN:

 **I'D FIND YOU**

Her lips were pursed, her eyebrows furrowed, her eyes narrowed in a glare full of hatred. As she was forced to sit on a wooden chair, her teeth gritted in utter irritation. Next to her, the three robbers to which she had vow momentarily loyalty — ' _so long as we manage to get the hell out of here'_ had been her initial plan — had been dragged to similar spots. Her sister fidgeted on her seat, evidently uncomfortable and anxious, while glancing at her surroundings. Besides her, a wary Farlan was staring at the man in front, possibly searching for a way out of such unfortunate situation.

And then, there was Levi. He was anything but disturbed, by the looks of it; which unnerved Galene beyond belief. His back was straightened, legs crossed one over another, and his expression was so calm he could have been sleeping.

As if feeling her attention on him, his eyes snapped to hers before averting towards Erwin Smith — also known as the reason of their sour moods.

Said man was standing behind his desk, arms crossed over his chest as he observed the group.

As silence prevailed within the place, Galene gave free rein to her curiosity and drifted her attention to her surroundings. An eyebrow arched at the sight of so many bookshelves, all of which made by a dark shade of wood. However, other than that, the room held no interest to her whatsoever — it was rather simple, oddly enough. As a matter of fact, the woman had expected his office to be more... princely.

She was not to blame though, for the man looked like someone who had been taken out of a castle in the mountains and forced to live down there with peasants. With his overly-slimy, blond hair and a pair of — as far as she could see — narrowed, blue eyes; anyone could mistake him for a rich prince, way too frustrated with his life among the plebs.

A smirk formed on her lips before she could suppress it.

 _Sexually frustrated, perhaps? He actually looks in need to get laid._

"Care to share what you find so funny with us, Galene?"

Her eyes gave the Commander a lazy glance, and her grin widened mischievously.

"I happen to find _you_ quite entertaining, Erwin Smith — annoying as hell, too."

Isabel snickered. Nevertheless, instead of being offended by her honesty, the man decided to ignore her words and let of a heavy sigh. "Did you really think I didn't know what you were doing?"

No one responded, but it was no surprise; they were former thugs, and so, they knew better than to start refuting accusations. Any kind of answer would only serve to dig themselves deeper, and it would elicit reactions that would put them in a worse situation.

"There is a reason as to why I've brought you here," Erwin admitted. "No one will deny the fact that you are unbelievably talented. However, I don't tend to go looking for strays in the Underworld city."

While Isabel and Farlan exchanged a look, Galene had suddenly found her nails quite intriguing. She choked on her saliva, though, when the least expected person in the room spoke.

"There is a reason as to why we decided to accept your offer and come here, as well. And it wasn't because that idiot" —Levi pointed at her— "got hurt."

Galene was fuming, her eyes blazing as she glared at the short man. "You piece of shit," she growled, causing Isabel — the closest to her — to shriek in anticipation. "Did no one teach you not to—"

"He already knows, brat," he interrupted, not fazed by her short outburst.

"So you think!" she exclaimed. "Even if that were the case, you should have kept your mouth shut."

"Enough," voiced Erwin, yet to no use.

The woman kept glaring at Levi through narrowed eyes, getting angrier by the second. On the other hand, Levi himself had a similar expression on his usually-emotionless features; there was something different shining in his eyes, nonetheless — a glint of disappointment, maybe?

"We're continuing this later, jerk," Galene eventually receded, but not without sending said man a knowing look. "Don't think this is over."

Erwin cleared his throat, if only to get their attention back.

"As I was saying, I knew your plan from the beginning," he revealed, and Levi did not bother to hide his smug smirk. "The military police has been investigating a man for quite a while now. He's been doing business in the Underground city, hiring criminals to do the dirty work for him and promising them whatever they wished for most; about which — hopefully this fact will open up your eyes — he never kept his word. A couple of weeks ago, the military police found out about his next move." He frowned upon receiving apathetic stares in return. But as he pulled out a scroll, the same one he was certain they'd been after, they tensed on their seats. "I believe this is what you were looking for. Am I wrong?"

"If you knew, why did you play the fool's card?" Farlan finally asked; there was no point in keeping quiet anymore.

Erwin seemed to ponder his answer. "For starters, I wanted to see just how passionate you were—how far you are willing to go for a common goal. Secondly, it was fairly amusing to see you squirm," he added with a smile.

"Sadist," Galene muttered under her breath.

"What are you going to do now, then?" Levi inquired, more bored than curious.

Erwin reached down to put the scroll inside a drawer. "Give you a new purpose, of course."

"What's in it?" piped Isabel, always the curious one.

"My diet timetable."

A snort was heard and ignored, yet Isabel faltered.

"Back to the point, you will be allowed to stay here and no charges will be placed upon you," he offered. "In return, however, I expect something from you. Besides cleaning up the place, you will immediately join the Scouting Legion and fight for humanity outside the Walls."

"As in, no more training?" Isabel asked in a voice full of hope.

"Yes."

The girl was instantly grinning widely and almost knocked Farlan over as she went for a hug.

"No."

Silence filled the room when Galene spoke, taking the eager pair by surprise. She ignored the irritated sound coming from Levi and explained herself. "These three nutjobs might like the offer. Staying here, however, is not good enough for me."

"What do you—" started Isabel, but she was cut off by Erwin.

"I was expecting that answer from you," he commented, then looked at the door and voiced, "You can come in, Hange."

Galene could feel her sister's gaze on her the whole time — the confusion and betrayal in her stare. But she ignored her and observed the man before her with calculating eyes.

"I was wondering if you'd forgotten about me, Erwin!"

Her lips pulled apart to form a snarl, before she turned her head to glare at Hange's grinning face.

"Why the hell is she here?" Galene demanded to know; she was far too irritated to be dealing with the obnoxious woman.

Erwin crossed his arms over his chest and motioned for Hange to approach. As soon as she was standing next to him — creepy smile on, as usual —, the man placed a hand on her shoulder and stated, "This is your second option."

Galene could only blink, prey to astonishment. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Means you either join the Survey Corps and fight, or you support Hange's team inside the Walls."

"Once we get back from our little expeditions, we experiment with Titans. They're such fascinating creatures!" Hange gushed, and her eyes glinted in dangerous excitement when she added, "I'd love to have you join my investigation."

An amused snort echoed in the room before Galene could muster a word, and said woman hastily snapped her head towards Levi. Feeling her annoyed gaze on him, the young man eventually drifted his eyes towards her to send her a look.

 _"Say something, I dare you_ ," he seemed to be thinking.

She gritted her teeth as both got lost into a silent battle. His eyes seemed to try to burn a hole in her soul, but she did not falter; she narrowed her own instead.

Someone cleared their throat, effectively snapping them away from their inner fight.

"Galene, focus."

She clicked her tongue in vexation, and then huffed. "What if I don't choose any? Your offers suck big time."

"I'll have you sent back to the Underground City," he replied in a heartbeat.

Galene halted. "You wouldn't."

"You're such an annoying brat," Levi cut in. "This is getting ridiculous."

A growl seemed to erupt from her throat as she glared at him. "Fight me."

"Galene," called out Isabel.

"You're genuinely asking for a beat-up."

"Guys, seriously—" Farlan was ignored, too.

"Ha, I'd like to see you try."

Erwin exhaled through his nose, fed up. On the other hand, Hange looked quite amused by their constant bickering.

"I would, but you are obviously too eager to get the hell out of here," Levi mused. "Wimp."

"If those Titans don't kill you, I will, jerk."

Levi smirked at her. "As if."

"Enough!" voiced Erwin. "Galene, just —"

"Fine. I'll join the freaking dumb corps," she snapped.

As the four former robbers were dismissed, Erwin glanced at Hange's still smiling face.

"Don't."

"I ship them so hard."

The man sighed heavily.

-#-

Her legs hung from the top of the building, her bare feet swayed ever so slightly as the soft breeze of the wind caressed her skin. Her eyelids were closed as she let her annoyance — her troubled thoughts — fade into oblivion, breathing them out of her body through deep exhalations. Her face had lost any trace of worry; wrinkles were gone, giving her features a relaxed look — a much younger one.

Galene had walked away from her three... companions as soon as they had left Erwin's office. No one had tried to stop her; no one had questioned her actions — they had just watched her go. After all, they knew better than that; they had spent enough time with the woman to know asking for an explanation was basically pointless.

Even after all those weeks, Galene still remained a mystery to them. She was locked in behind her own impenetrable wall, which she had made over years of living in the Underground City. It was her defences; that wall protected her from the dangers waiting outside.

Only Levi had caught a glimpse of what hid on the other side, ironically enough.

Deep inside, she was aware of what she was accomplishing by acting that way. And truth be told, she was starting to doubt whether wishing to leave was but another attempt for her lost life to resurge. So used to doing things by herself, to fighting for her own needs and wants —perhaps, Galene was trying to make herself believe that was what she had to do.

But... Did she really want to go back to living that way?

"Ah, fuck this," she grumbled while sitting up.

Running a hand through her hair, she let out a sigh before locking her eyes on the horizon. The sun was slowly sinking; its last rays glowed in a colourful sky and warmed her skin with their touch.

Soon, the moon would be shining in a dark ceiling full of stars.

"I knew you'd be hiding here."

Her muscles tensed almost instantly, before she glanced over her shoulder to send him a brief look.

"Trust me," she began, "if I was hiding, you wouldn't be able to find me."

Levi said nothing; instead, he flopped down next to her. Surprised yet wary, the woman gave him a leery stare.

"Why are you here?"

"Isabel was driving me to commit suicide," he admitted. "She's worried about you."

"I can take care of myself," she retorted with a frown.

She glanced at him to see he was lying down with his eyes closed, and for some unknown reason, the sight soothed her. A pang of guilt pinched her heart, but she mentally shook her head.

"You're selfish."

Her eyes widened, and she found herself staring into his intense gaze. He sounded... angry.

"You can't expect to walk out and not leave scars behind," he said, and then clicked his tongue in evident annoyance. "Brat."

"Jerk," she muttered.

However, his lips turned up ever so slightly to form a smirk. They stood there, under the sunset, for long minutes; not saying anything, just enjoying the peaceful moment. It reminded them of those occasions in the Underground City, and they would be lying if they said they hadn't missed spending time together like that.

When the sky had turned a deep shade of blue and the stars were shining above them, Levi stood up. An apple was dropped on her lap, causing her to startle.

"You missed dinner, idiot."

Galene arched a brow, and then turned around to watch him walk back into the building. He remembered; after everything, he still remembered how much she loved apples. But...

 _You missed dinner too, dumbass_ , she sweat-dropped.

"By the way," he spoke while turning his face to the side to let her see his smug smirk, "I would still find you."

Ignoring the warmth spreading within her, she let out a chuckle.

"As if."

Maybe — just maybe — that place wouldn't be so bad.


	8. Eight: Outside World

❝ _Only victors are allowed to live. This world is merciless like that_.❞ ㅡ **Mikasa Ackerman**

CHAPTER EIGHT:

 **OUTSIDE WORLD**

The sun shone bright in a blue sky, shedding light to the world that spread at its feet. Some clouds roamed about, like sentinels keeping watch on those poor souls that lived within the Walls.

A bird chirped nearby, and Galene turned her head sideways to catch a glimpse of its yellowish shape before it disappeared in between the leaves of the trees. A pang of jealousy tugged at her heart as she let her eyes wander around the area, only for them to narrow as they landed on another flying animal.

 _Jealous of birds_ — _that's weird, even for you,_ she thought to herself.

"Snap out of it, brat."

A glare was sent his way, before Galene clicked her tongue in irritation and flicked him off.

Averting her gaze from his expectant one, she mounted the horse that had been assigned to her and pursed her lips. Seconds later, footsteps approached her, and she didn't need to look to know who was now standing on her right.

"We need to talk," Isabel stated.

Biting back an exasperated sigh, the oldest of the Magnolia sisters wanted nothing more than to turn around and leave. However, she was not allowed to return to the warmth of her bed just yet.

It was Expedition Day; which meant every soldier had to empty the building to fight for humanity in the outside world. As she had agreed on previously, Galene was one of those warriors — she had always been so, to be fair.

So instead of running off to some place where no one could bother her, the woman forced herself to stand her ground and face her sister. "Later."

Fortunately, Isabel seemed satisfied with her reply, for she nodded once and went off to stand next to Farlan's horse. The woman watched as they got immersed in a conversation, laughing every now and then and smiling like nothing was worth their worry — maybe life was simpler than she thought.

"You're staring," a voice she knew too well accused.

Glancing at him out from the corner of her eye, she arched an eyebrow and smirked ever so subtly. "And you're stalking."

His grey gaze met hers as he kept his horse still next to hers.

"That woman decided to place us together, for whatever reason." His deep voice held a hint of annoyance, like it usually did.

Galene drifted her attention to said person as she stood right in front of Farlan and Isabel. And as if on cue, Hange tilted her head to look back at her and grinned.

 _She is something else, that's for sure._ The redhead frowned. "Don't act as if you aren't pleased," she ended up commenting, mischievous smirk on as she winked at Levi.

"Tch."

Soon enough, they started to move forward. Some encouraging words were shouted from the first line, but they fell to deaf ears; the soldiers were serious, focused, but also discouraged. Many had witnessed friends dying in their attempt to escape the ruthless titans, and even though they would keep fighting, their moods were sour; as if they knew their tragic destiny had already been sealed and had accepted it.

It would be but a matter of time until they joined the fallen warriors in the afterlife.

Nevertheless, Galene was different, and she was certain her three friends were, as well.

 _"No titan is going to get its disgusting hands on me,"_ she had promised the night before.

As they neared the last Wall that separated safety from danger, citizens from different parts of the city turned up in the streets. They watched from both sides as the Survey Corps rode by, sad expressions of their faces; as if they, too, had accepted most of them wouldn't return.

White flowers floated in front of the soldiers, as a symbol of sympathy and reverence. One of them was suddenly thrown to her face, but before it could touch her, a hand snatched it. Levi twirled the flower between his fingers and observed it with thoughtful eyes, as if something was bothering him. Then, his gaze fell upon her, almost throwing Galene off her horse.

One would say she was used to it by now, but he had never looked at her so... intently. And part of her held on to the warm sensation that was spreading through her body; the other part, however...

"Stop staring at me like that, Levi. You're creeping me out."

He arched a brow, but eventually looked away from her and let the flower drop to the ground to join the rest of them. "Just don't die, brat."

Galene clicked her tongue, quickly composing herself. "Same goes to you, jerk."

And as knowing smirks stretched on their lips, the last gate opened and their horses galloped away... into the dangerous, outside world.

For the first time in her life, Galene Magnolia was at a complete loss of words. Never before had such innocent expression illuminated her face, but as she looked up and her eyes got lost into the bright colour with which the sky glowed, she lost any control she had over her muscles.

Her mouth fell agape, her eyes widened in awe, and the smallest of gasp left her parted lips.

Orange, pink, blue...; she had never witnessed so many colours melting one another in the same place. As they rode towards the horizon; she saw mountains and forests, rivers and animals she couldn't put a name to.

It was pure, infinite; and she was absolutely marvelled by it.

She was snapped out of her trance when the loud voice of Hange ordered them to follow her, and as they had previously agreed, the four former robbers complied. For some unknown reason, they had been placed under her command; as much as it irked Galene, she could only bit her tongue and do what she was told to.

No word was spoken as they rode into the forest. There, everything was quiet; way too quiet. No birds chirped, no animals could be seen in the surroundings; just huge trees that were so tall that sunlight was captured by their leaves and not allowed underneath.

But then, the unexpected happened.

A cry escaped Isabel as she lost control of her horse, which had been scared off by something, and both animal and girl propelled forward.

"What the—"

Hange, who had been assigned as their provisional captain, had been taken by surprise, like the rest of them. Except for someone. Quicker than their reflexes, Galene's had gotten rid of the shock and pushed her to spur her horse on to aid the girl.

"Galene, wait!" Hange cursed under her breath when the young woman ignored her.

She heard them trying to catch up, but her attention was focused on her sister, who was getting away and kept screaming for help. She had been so fixed on aiding her that she had somehow forgotten where she was... and what dwelled within.

"Galene, watch out!"

A giant hand repentantly blocked her path, causing her horse to come to a sudden halt.

Startled, Galene only had time to slide off to avoid getting caught by the chubby fingers which curled around the horse instead. As if disappointed by the outcome, they soon loosened their grip on the poor animal, which dropped on the ground by her feet. For a fleeting moment, her attention was diverted by the dead horse as it lay before her eyes, bloodied and battered.

And the she was staring into Death's hollow eyes. A grin was stretched on its face as the titan loomed over her lying body, and fear was quick to take shape within her pounding heart. Never in her life had Galene felt so overpowered — so small and meaningless. Her hair stood on end as the titan drooled, causing disgusting drops of saliva to trace its deformed jaw.

People she could fight; even kill — it had been proven over her years living in the underground. But she felt useless now, as the titan reached for her to end her sad life.

Galene was frozen in place, unable to stand or even crawl; she was terrified. Her mind had shut down, leaving her alone against the deadly being. It felt like hours had gone by as she clenched her fists into the wet earth and silently asked herself if that was it — if, after all she'd endured in her past, she was always bound to end up as food, like so many had before.

Only a second after she had landed on the hard ground, someone was cutting through the air with a single goal in mind: killing the threat.

As if he had been doing it all his life, Levi sliced off his fingers with his blades. His feet touched the trunk of a tree lightly, giving him enough time to round on his heels and take a quick look at its ugly face, which was staring at its chopped off fingers; as if trying to understand why they were on the ground now. Levi wasted no time; he swiftly crossed the air and flew over its slouched form before launching himself at its neck.

As the titan dropped dead on top of her horse and hot blood splattered on ground and wood, Galene was lifted in the air.

"That was a close one," Farlan breathed out as he helped Galene back to her feet.

Taking a shaky breath, the woman felt her body finally respond to her silent screams. Her eyes landed on Levi as he sat on his horse and spurred it to approach her, but she quickly looked away. Adrenaline coursed through her veins, anger towards herself and pride for being a damsel in distress battled against her feelings of gratitude towards Levi — her saviour.

Fortunately, her train of thought came to a sudden halt when Hange called her. "Galene, never run off like that again. You're under my command and must follow me, not the other way around."

Her giant pride got the worst out of her and she clicked her tongue, "You were too slow."

A kick was delivered to the back of her head, eliciting a yelp from her, before Galene turned around to glare at him.

"The hell was that for, Levi?" she growled.

"Being a reckless idiot."

There was a hint of something else she couldn't put a finger on, but Galene frowned and looked at the dead titan. With each passing second, its muscles and bones disintegrated more, leaving a cloud of hot smoke behind instead.

"Blue smoke coming from the outskirts of the forest, Captain Hange," Farlan suddenly exclaimed.

With a hum, the woman gave a curt nod. "That's the signal to retreat."

"What about Isabel?" Galene asked. "You can't possibly expect us to leave without her."

But Hange shook her head. "I'm sorry. For now, we'll place our hopes in the squad that was some feet ahead of us. At the pace her horse was galloping, she's probably ended up joining them. In addition, we can't waste time around here — this is still the enemy's territory."

As her mouth opened to express her disagreement, Levi chimed in. "As much as I despise the situation, she's right. I fail to see how ending up as titan shit will do you any good."

His hand reached down to hoover before her eyes, an offer she was tempted to refuse. However, Galene could see their point; and so, she latched her fingers around his and let him help her onto his horse.

"Right, that should settle it," Hange muttered as she received a glare from the woman sitting behind Levi.

As the two horses galloped away, Levi glanced at Galene from over his shoulder. "Hold on tight if you don't want to fall off, brat."

Before she could talk back, he had spurred his horse on. Her arms quickly wrapped around his torso, and her tights tensed around the animal as it chased after his comrades.

"Thanks for the head start, jerk!"

A smirk grazed his lips when he tilted his head to look at her, which caused her to arch an eyebrow in expectance. "What?"

"Don't act as if you're not enjoying this," he mocked, the same way she had some hours before — when Hange had sent him to stand next to her.

Pursing her lips in irritation, Galene narrowed her eyes as the man turned back to stare straight ahead.

However, as annoyed as she was, she couldn't deny his words. Pressed up against him as they rode on, Galene felt at ease, comfortable. Her hands unclenched to clasp around his chest, and she relished in the movement of his muscles as he pushed his horse to go faster. For an instant, she allowed her mind to forget about her failure back in the forest.

Levi said nothing; perhaps, too busy to notice — or maybe, too pleased with the way her body pressed up against his.

"Thanks for the ride back," Galene muttered when they made it back.

Finding her sister among the soldiers, she swiftly hoped off and rushed towards her. Levi watched her go, taken aback by the unexpected displays of concern and affection, yet oddly pleased with them.

"Are you coming, Levi?" Farlan called out, effectively catching his attention. "Apparently, we have new rooms now that we're officially soldiers," he informed as both led their horses back to the barn.

"Is that so?"

Farlan nodded. "You and I are still going to be sharing, but the girls have been given another one."

Levi inwardly sighed in relief; he was pleased with the idea of not having to sleep in the same room as Isabel, who for some strange reason, managed to fall off her bed every night and wake everyone up.

"You think they'll be ok?" Farlan inquired.

"We'll find out tomorrow."

Cue the sweatdrop.

"That doesn't sound too convincing."

But Levi remained silent, and the conversation died there. _With Galene, anything can happen._ His lips twitched. _And that's what makes her so interesting_.


	9. Nine: Family

_tenimyuohtori_ : Thank you so much your lovely comment!

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❝ _When you open yourself up to someone, you show them where to put the knife in._ ❞ ㅡ **Galene Magnolia**

CHAPTER NINE:

 **FAMILY**

Warm water was pouring down on her, cleaning away the dirt her body had been coated in during the expedition to the outside world. Her skin welcomed it, forming goosebumps along her arms and legs as cold and hot mixed.

A sigh of contentment escaped her parted lips, and Galene allowed herself to relax for the first time in forever; her muscles loosened as stress and tension banished from her body, her features lost its furrowed frown — which seemed to have been permanently printed on them —, and her mind became free of its turmoil.

Placing a hand on the cold wall in front of her, she lowered her head and closed her eyes as hot water massaged the back of her neck. She breathed out; and with the exhalation, any trace of agitation left as well, fading into the steamy atmosphere.

Only the sound of droplets crashing on the wet floor echoed within those four walls, and the woman relished in the feeling of being by herself. No loud, happy-go-lucky sister lighting up the mood; no kind, but also exasperating man trying to ease up her mind; and no grumpy dwarf sending her inquisitive stares.

A shiver rolled down her spine, however, as an image flashed before her closed eyelids.

 _"Don't act as if you're not enjoying this."_

Her hand clenched into a fist, before she punched the wall while shaking her head.

 _Snap out of it, damn it._

Taking a deep breath, she forced her mind to go blank before heaving a sigh. Then, she turned the water off. For a fleeting moment, Galene stood still; enjoying the warmth caressing her bare skin, the smell of lavender shampoo, the relaxing _drip drip_ of the remaining drops of water.

She had grown to appreciate those moments of absolute calm, as ever since she had joined those three robbers, they had become fewer and fewer. Still, the sketch of a smile drew on her lips.

"Gal, come out. We still need to talk."

The voice of her sister snapped her out of her thoughts and brought back her usual mood. Clicking her tongue in slight vexation, Galene wrapped a purple towel around her body and left the steamy room.

Instantly, the cold breeze that slipped in through the window hit her wet skin. Wrapping the cloth tighter around her frame, the woman turned to her sister with pursed lips.

"Jeez, am I not allowed to have a shower? Give me a break, Isabel."

"Give her some clothes, too."

A blush crawled up her neck and threatened to embarrass her, but Galene fought it back by narrowing her eyes and giving Levi a nasty look, which was merely acknowledged by an arch of his brow. The man was casually sitting on _her_ bed, arms crossed and giving away the impression he could not care less about the fact Galene was annoyed by his mere presence.

"A little warning would have been appreciated, little sister."

Isabel scratched the back of her head and grinned sheepishly. "I didn't think you'd come out like this," she defended.

"Of course you didn't think. I'm certain this jerk" —she pointed at Levi— "did, though."

Said man drifted his grey gaze to her and leaned back against the wall. "Tch. And why would I have decided to stay if I did?"

Smirking, Galene placed her hands on her hips and commented, "Because you wanted to see my pretty ass, obvi—I swear to God, I will break your legs if your eyes go any lower."

Isabel cleared her throat, catching their attention. Levi averted his eyes from the infuriated Galene and huffed.

"I'm going to choose to ignore what I'm witnessing. Gal, I really want to talk to you."

Supressing a sigh, the oldest of the Magnolia sisters gave in and nodded before turning towards Levi with an arched eyebrow. "You heard her, jerk."

For some seconds, their gazes clashed as they silently challenged one another. Eventually, , the man made an annoyed noise with his tongue and stood from her bed. When he was about to step out, however, he tilted his head and smirked ever so slightly.

"Your towel is slipping, woman."

"Get out before I kick you out myself."

Once he was out and the door was closed, Galene ran a hand through her head and sighed through her nostrils.

"He's such a pain in the ass," she mumbled under her breath.

"And somehow you haven't pushed him away," Isabel pointed out while giving a knowing smile.

Rolling her eyes, the older woman huffed at the hidden accusation and added, "Yet."

She walked over to her wardrobe and pulled some clean clothes out.

"You know, there's nothing wrong with having people that care about you."

Fully clothed, Galene glanced at her sister from the corner of her eye but said nothing to acknowledge her words.

"I realize you are perfectly fine on your own — you have always been quite independent, even when it was just the two of us. But I think you got the wrong image, Gal."

Arching an eyebrow, Galene crossed her arms over her chest and turned around to give her a challenging stare. "Is that so?"

Isabel wasn't faced by her irritated façade at all.

"We're not here to look after you. We're not here because you need people, or help to survive. And we most definitely aren't here just because we find you useful," she said hotly.

"Why are you, then?" Galene asked, partly curious and partly surprised by her outburst.

The younger girl pulled a genuine smile, and a blush coloured her cheeks when she replied, "Because we are family." She averted her eyes from the intense ones of Galene, whose features gave nothing away. "Levi, Farlan, you and I — we are all we've got."

"You don't need me, Isabel. You're capable enough of taking care of yourself."

Isabel frowned. "It's not about that. I may not need you to survive, but I want you to be part of my life. We all do; even Levi."

For some minutes, neither of them spoke a word as they regarded each other with different expressions. Truth be told, Galene was having a difficult time processing the meaning of those words — not to blame her, though. However, there was something unmistakable she had been able to catch in her voice.

Pure honesty.

Only that was enough to spread warmth inside her cold heart. Clicking her tongue, she eventually shook her head and started her way towards the door.

"You talk too much, Isabel. Let's go; I need a drink."

And as the difficult woman stepped out, Isabel could only roll her eyes before hurrying after her with a smile of triumph.

-#-

The door complained when Galene pushed it open with one hand, causing her features to contort into a grimace. Quiet chattering bubbled inside the room where the Scouting Legion went to chill after a day spent in the outside world, but the woman ignored everyone and walked towards her two male friends after spotting them sitting at the furthest table.

Her footsteps were light, but somehow they muffled out the voices as she strolled past people. She felt eyes on her; those judging, wary stares she had been receiving ever since she had set foot in that place some days ago. Her nose scrunched, and her lips pulled from her teeth to form a snarl before she sent a glare around.

Most of the present soldiers turned back to their business at once, for even if they did not approve of her, they knew Galene Magnolia wasn't someone to mess with.

However, not all of them were intimidated by her irritated expression.

"Is it me, or it suddenly smells of wretch?"

At once, Galene stopped walking. Slowly, as pure rage made her veins boil, she turned around to face Jack. His group of toadies were snickering, and a smug smirk was plastered on his face as he arched an eyebrow at her, silently challenging her.

Isabel wrapped a hand around her arm to hold her in place and sent a dirty look his way before speaking in a low voice, "He's not worth it, Gal."

But the man glared at her. "You dare to talk about worth, filthy piece of garbage?" He let out a mocking laugh. "You rats keep surpr—What the hell?!"

All conversations came to a halted end when Galene grabbed him by the front of his shirt and pulled him up, close to her angry face. His knees buckled, and his eyes widened in evident shock; he had not been expecting for her to react, considering the circumstances. Not only was the place full of witnesses, but his friends were there as well...

Repentantly noticing how no one had come to his rescue yet, Jack glanced at them, only for them to avoid his inquisitive eyes.

"Your bootlickers aren't going to help you — no one is," Galene hissed.

Her eyes were blazing in fury, her teeth gritting as she let her emotions take control of her actions. But before her fist met his face, someone came up from behind and pulled her away from him.

"Stop making a scene, brat."

Struggling to get out of his hold, she clenched her hands and sneered, "Let me go, Levi. I'm going to sweep the floor with his ugly face."

But said man didn't oblige and kept his arms wrapped around her torso, eliciting an infuriated growl from her. Her wrestling stopped, however, as Farlan walked up to stand between them and Jack.

"I suggest you leave them alone," he stated, serious.

Jack narrowed his eyes upon him. "This is none of your business, freak."

Instead of losing his composure — something Galene would have done —, Farlan merely crossed his arms over his chest and voiced for everyone to hear, "If you mess with any of us, you mess with all of us."

Silence fell upon them as his words sunk in. Galene failed to notice how those arms were no longer holding her back, but casually resting around her; she was too busy staring at Farlan in utter stupor. Glancing at Isabel, she found the same determined look set on her face.

And she finally understood. This was her family — it wasn't about blood or bones, but those bonds that joined them as one.

Tilting her head to the side, her eyes met Levi's and she smirked. "You can stop hugging me now," she teased, only for him to shoot her a blank stare before releasing her.

"Brat."

And then, the four friends left the room. As Isabel and Farlan got engaged into a conversation about whether sleep was more important than food or not, Levi crossed his arms over his chest and sighed.

"Erwin will have a go at us tomorrow. You are such a pain in the ass, Galene."

Galene shrugged her shoulders. "You should have let me break his nose, at least," she commented, before mentally adding, _I will do it some other time._

He clicked his tongue in annoyance; he knew what she was planning. "I will strap you down."

A smirk formed on her face.

"Kinky."


	10. Ten: Secret Mission

❝ _Do you always want to live hiding behind the mask you put for the sake of others? You're you, and there's nothing wrong with that._ ❞ ㅡ **Ymir**

CHAPTER TEN:

 **SECRET MISSION**

A knock on the door pulled her from her dream, forcefully dragging her mind away from the peaceful state it had been immersed in for hours, only to drop it back on the real world with a painful, silent _thud_.

Groaning out of utter irritation, the woman cracked an eye open to realize no rays of the sun were dancing in the room. It was dark; long shadows formed along the furniture as moonlight seeped in through a crack between the curtains. With a huff, she rolled over to face the wall and closed her eyes.

It was way too late — or early, depending on how one looked at it — for her to be in the mood to entertain whoever that was waiting outside her room. It was probably someone who wanted to either annoy her, or get in her pants... Not that she was going to get up to find out; she could not care less.

The ruffling of sheets reminded her Isabel was still there, so she quickly discarded the second option and blamed her sleepy brain on her dumb conjectures. Pulling the blanket up to her chin, Galene let out a deep breath and attempted to return to that peaceful state of mind.

 _Knock, knock._

Biting back a growl, the woman opened her eyes and narrowed them into slits. She had hoped they would stop knocking on her door after realizing she wasn't going to answer it, but if anything, the taps on the door became louder, almost impatient. Fleetingly, Galene casted a glance towards her sister, only to notice she had yet to wake up. Unable to understand how she could manage to sleep soundly when someone was threatening to break down the door, she frowned in envy before whining as another knock shook the room.

Determined to tear apart whoever that was on the other side with her bare hands, she threw the covers away from her body and stomped over. Yanking the door open, a trail of curses was on its way out of her mouth, but she was beat to it.

"Did you just whine, brat?"

Snapping her mouth shut, Galene blinked twice before casually leaning against the frame. "Isabel did." After receiving a look of disbelief, however, she shuffled her feet and crossed her arms over her chest. "Give me a good reason not to beat you to death, Levi. You woke me up, asshole."

Said man regarded her with slight-amused eyes for some seconds, as if he were daring her to approach. Eventually, as none of them moved, he clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"That was the point. I've been standing here for ten minutes. Stop wasting my time," he muttered while averting his gaze from her.

Her lips curled into a playful smirk, and she hummed.

"Coming here so late at night..." she paused, ready for the punchline. "So determined to get me to answer the door..."

Levi sent her a dark look. "What are you implying, woman?"

Tilting her head, she stepped closer and whispered, "Did you get me out of bed to take me to yours?"

Silence.

Then, she yelped. "That was uncalled for," she growled while rubbing the side of her head, right where she had been hit. "Learn to take a joke, damn it."

Levi merely stared at her with emotionless eyes, unimpressed. After a minute, he gave an exasperated sigh and walked over to the wall behind to lean against it.

"Erwin has called for us," he stated.

Galene shrugged her shoulder, and her features had suddenly turned nonchalant. "Good for him."

Running a hand through his hair, the man let his eyes wander over her before averting them to glance outside.

"Just put some clothes on, brat. I won't have him nagging me because of you."

At his words, she looked down—

 _Oh._

—only to realize she was standing there in a thin tank top and her favourite panties.

"Whatever. I don't see why anyone would complain."

Levi watched her as she turned around and walked back into her room. On their own accord, his eyes drifted down her figure before blinking in surprise as the door slammed shut.

Clicking his tongue, he mentally cursed.

-#-

When the door opened, Erwin was there to give them a judging stare. Shaking his head and sighing heavily, the man motioned for them to walk in and sit by his desk. For a fleeting moment, he wondered if having them sharing his coach was a smart idea — the last thing he wanted was for his new sofa to get shred to pieces were the two of them to start arguing.

As they sat down, evidently already used to being around one another to mind personal space, Erwin glided his eyes towards the woman standing next to him.

 _Expected_ , he couldn't help but think upon catching sight of the huge grin on her face.

For some strange reason, Hange had become quite fond of the pair and their banter. And as of right now, she was watching them interact — or not interact at all, for they were merely staring at him with expectant expressions — with glinting eyes; as if they had become her favourite show.

Inwardly sighing in exasperation, Erwin walked over to his big chair and sat down. He seemed to ponder something, as his features furrowed for a brief moment, before his gaze fell upon them.

"I have an important mission only you can do," he revealed. None of them showed sign of having heard him, but that's just how they acted towards everyone — Levi would stare at him with impassive eyes, whereas Galene would sit there, looking bored out of her mind. Erwin focused his attention on the latter before speaking again, "I suppose you have heard the name _Everhart_."

Something crossed her brown eyes, an expression too complex for him to decrypt; one that he had never witnessed before. Much to his surprise, Galene remained silent and it was her friend the one who spoke up.

"What of them?"

 _Them_ , Erwin noted.

"What do you know about them?" he pressed.

Levi placed an arm on the back of the sofa, and if Galene noticed how his skin brushed against hers, she did nothing to show it. "Not much. They rule over most of the Underground City, count with a big arsenal of weapons and manage every big business around. Never interacted with them personally, however."

Erwin hummed and crossed his arms over his chest. "Their power keeps increasing. We never paid much mind to them, since the military forces are the ones supposed to deal with that kind of problems," he explained. "But things have changed. Orders from above are pushing me to call upon you for this task."

His eyes drifted to Galene again, but she had yet to show interest in the conversation. He knew better than that, nevertheless, and could see the wheels clicking and clunking in her head.

"What exactly do you want from us, Erwin?" Levi's voice gave away his suspicions — he could tell where Erwin was getting at.

Sighing, said man leaned back on his chair. "We need someone to infiltrate their headquarters."

Levi arched a brow.

"We are worried they might be plotting something," Hange explained, serious. "Something is happening down there. And they're in the midst of it all."

"What leads you to believe so?"

"Bodies are turning up everywhere, bloodied and battered. Panic is rising on the streets; things are becoming quite hectic," Erwin reveald, eliciting a look of scepticism from Levi.

"Everhart never tortured."

A sarcastic snort caught their attention. For the first time since they had walked in, Galene seemed interested in what they were talking about. Her lips pulled to form a snarl, and an expression of pure hatred darkened her features.

"They did." Her voice was cold as ice, sharp like a knife; it surprised Levi, who observed her with inquisitive eyes. "They just made sure no one found out."

She felt their gazes on her as she leaned back with closed eyelids, yet she did nothing to acknowledge them. Her expression lost any trace of revulsion, but as he stared at her closely, Levi could see the muscles of her face tensing and relaxing; as if she were battling against her inner self. Something was off — it was evident to him.

Instead of questioning her, however, he averted his eyes from her and absently grazed the back of her neck with his fingers; if only to let her know that while he respected her decision to remain silent, he would look for answers later.

"A broken wing was carved on every found body," Erwin stated then.

"That's their signature," Galene commented in a casual voice. "You can find it everywhere in the Underground City."

Hange nodded.

"It's not like those bastards," Levi cut in and clicked his tongue. "Sounds like they want people to go after them."

"There's definitely something fishy, but we need to investigate it," Erwin added while crossing arms. "Not only that."

Hange shared a look with him, before the latter nodded. "This is a secret mission. No one but the highest ranks and us know about it due to what it implies," she asserted. "You are required to find the head of Everhart and execute him."

Silence crashed over them as the last two words floated in the air, echoing between the four walls. Levi opened his mouth to express his bewilderement, when the Magnolia woman beat him to it. In her voice, however, no disbelief could be found — no disagreement as he had expected.

"Will you keep your word? No one else is to find out." He looked at her, only to see determination shining in her eyes. And when Erwin nodded, he could have sworn he caught a glimpse of eagerness on her features. "I'll do it."

They left the room shortly after, with the promise to return in the morning. And before Levi could start his questioning, Galene was walking away, heading a different direction. Yet he saw it...

An unfamiliar, bloodthirsty glint in her gaze.


	11. Eleven: Blood and Tears

**A/N:** If you've been following this story up to now, you'll notice that this chapter has been posted again. The reason is that I made some important changes in chapters 1-3-8, and that includes adding a new one between them (chapter two is new). Sorry for the confusion!

: Thank you so much for your comment! Isabel will be a main character in this story. I'm not following any timeline, so this is original and I decided to give her an important role.

* * *

❝ _I don't care about how it will look to others - I've never given a damn about opinions. This is how I am, and I'm not scared that the world will see. This is my way to survive, to feel no regrets. If you let emotions like that consume you, you may as well consider yourself dead._ ❞ ㅡ **Galene Magnolia**

CHAPTER ELEVEN:

 **BLOOD AND TEARS**

Galene scrunched her nose as the smell of rotten food and sweat reached her. Her brown eyes scanned her surroundings closely, taking in the dirty streets and cracked buildings. Glancing around, she caught sight of an old woman curled up against the wall of a shop whose sign was feebly swaying on a single chain. Remains of food and cigarettes were scattered all around, crunching under the weight of slim children as they slipped away between bins and fallen barrels. With their small hands full of bread and fruit, they ran as fast as their weak legs allowed them to and tried to escape those they had stolen from.

The Underground City had always been a dangerous, depressing place. Dark, cold and moistened due to the absence of sunlight ㅡ that was the first thing Galene had noticed. To live in such nasty area, one had to be strong-willed and able to stare death in its eyes.

Galene knew it too well. However...

"You can feel it too, can't you?"

Narrowing her eyes upon the quiet suburb, Galene nodded ㅡ something was definitely different, off. They were standing on top of a building, observing the situation and taking a moment to absorb everything. From there, she could reach to glimpse at the most dangerous part of the city; that suburb which no one would ever dare to approach ㅡ not even guards.

A bad feeling gripped her heart upon noticing the absence of thugs walking its streets, the dark cloud that seemed to emanate from the high buildings.

"Where are their minions?" she asked out-loud. "The place is usually plagued by them; they even had gorillas in front of every damn building."

Levi crossed his arms over his chest. "It's quiet. Looks abandoned, if you ask me."

Galene pursed her lips in thought before muttering, "And somehow, it's never felt so dangerous."

After grunting in displeasure, Levi turned away. "Let's go."

For some seconds, the woman stood there; observing, planning ahead. Then, she clicked her tongue and followed him through the crack on the ceiling. Her body felt lighter as she jumped inside, colder too. She was wearing normal clothes, just like Levi. Erwin had thought it appropriate to leave the uniform behind, so they would blend in and not catch many curious eyes. To be honest, Galene didn't mind it; however, she did feel oddly anxious without her gear and blades.

As her feet landed behind Levi and she jogged to catch up with him, a familiar feeling took shape within her heart. Her instincts awoke from their slumber, her muscles tensed, and her eyes sharpened to remain alert as she slid out of the building.

Using the shade provided by her surroundings to conceal her form, something in her mind switched on and she jumped into action. Seemingly forgotten, Levi could only let his eyes wander and watch her as she took the lead and skilfully moved. Like a predator, she was quick on her feet and silent.

A glint in her gaze caught his interest when she tilted her head to glance at him; a cunning, unfamiliar expression that caused a pleasant chill to roll down his body. His face remained emotionless, nevertheless, as she arched an eyebrow before shaking her head in exasperation.

"Stop staring and get over here, damn it."

Levi walked up to her and gave her an expectant stare. Rolling her eyes, Galene motioned for him to look at some point in front of them.

The house was still in one piece; its walls cracked but solid enough to support the ceiling, the door firmly closed. It reminded Galene of other times, almost forgotten albeit fresh in her mind. It was the place where they had met, where she had attempted to knee him in the groin.

"Bastards," Levi growled.

Galene sent him a look and shrugged. "I expected this. No place remains empty for too long around here."

Dim light reflected through the only window in the house, flickering every so frequently as people moved and shadowed its source. Galene frowned; even if she had said that, the fact someone had taken over the place irked her.

"Something isn't right," Levi spoke in a low voice, but before she could roll her eyes, he was swearing aloud.

Confused, Galene was about to speak when what had sent him into a trail of curses caught her eye. There, an inch above the door, something had been carved in the stone.

A broken wing.

Her hands clenched into fists upon seeing it, so tight her knuckles turned white. She was strolling towards the house before Levi could blink. Galene forced herself to remain focused, yet her blood was boiling and her eyes blazing. Taking a deep breath, she knocked on the door. Once, twice. Voices spoke, someone grunted. Then, a man in his late forties was opening the door and giving her a nasty look.

"We didn't order any sluts today. Get lost," he snarled. But she didn't move, not an inch. His eyes narrowed, before a disgusting smirk formed on his face. "Of course, you can spend the night if you're that desperate. I ain't payin' shit thouㅡ"

The words died in his throat as her fist met his stomach, causing him to bend over his own body in surprise. That gave her enough time to punch him on the back of his neck, throw him to crash on the floor and stomp on his head. A _crack_ was heard, and the man went completely still.

"What the hell?!"

"Bruno!"

Galene looked up from _Bruno_ to find three pair of eyes staring at her in shock, and then she witnessed how their expressions changed into fury and disdain.

"Get that bitch. Make her pay," one of them, who had a scar above his right eye, ordered.

The first man came at her with a long knife, but she was ready. Dodging his attack, Galene hit the back of his wrist with hers skilfully and the sharp item fell out of his grasp. She was quick to dodge a punch by crouching, and she took advantage of her position underneath him to pick up the knife and plunge it into his exposed knee. Letting out a scream, the man was too blind by agony and rage to see her next attack coming.

Her elbow slammed against his chin, before she used the bloodied knife to slit his throat open.

His friend was on her a second later, catching her off balance. "You bitch!"

Pain exploded in her head as his knee met her temple, sending her down. But she pushed through it and kicked him in his stomach before he could get a hold of her, and as the man stumbled over, she threw something at him.

The knife sank into his face.

As the last body hit the floor, Galene turned her eyes towards the leader. An unexpected, grim grin was stretched on his lips, and then he laughed obnoxiously.

"I can't believe I was right," he exclaimed. "I knew you'd turn into a vicious woman."

At that, Galene halted her approach. She frowned, bemused, which only made the man laugh even harder. Then, his features turned dark and serious, and he smirked. " _Ready for another round, doll?_ "

Recognition flashed in her eyes, and something within her growled and screamed. She lunged at him with a war cry, landed on him before he could react and sent both to stumble over a table; which broke under their weight. And then, she was punching him senseless. Hit after hit ㅡ she didn't stop.

Her fists were stained with his blood, pulsating as she kept attacking him. Straddling him, she had taken him by surprise and was beating him to death with no hesitation. At some point, he bit her hand, hard. Yet it didn't stop her ㅡ she merely punched him harder, until his mouth detached from her.

Galene failed to notice the hot tears forming on the corner of her eyes, the arms wrapping around her torso. Only when she was being pulled away did she snap out of it, but her back was being slammed against a wall before she could properly react.

His silver eyes stared at her with an intense, steady look, as his hands held her in place.

"Stop." His voice was firm, calm. As if he hadn't witnessed anything, as if he wasn't disturbed by her rampage.

Taken aback, Galene blinked. She was breathing heavily due to the adrenaline rushing down her veins, and her body was trembling. Blood, along with dirt and sweat, was smeared all over her clothes and skin. Her hair was messy, sticking to her face and in every direction.

She had never looked so over the place, so vulnerable. However, as Levi looked into her eyes ㅡ as he caught glimpse of that wild, dangerous glint in her gaze ㅡ, an unexpected thought crossed his mind.

Galene was undeniably attractive; he would be blind not to appreciate it. But something about her at that precise moment was awakening his most primary instincts, and his throat became dry as they hit in.

 _Fuck._

He would have her right there and then.

A hoarse cough snapped him out of his thoughts, and he glanced at the man out of the corner of his eye. Levi was surprised to see him conscious after the beat up, yet he showed no sign of emotion. His hands were still holding Galene against the wall, so he could feel how her muscles tensed before she spoke.

"Get off, Levi." There was fire in her gaze, venom in her voice. "I'm not done yet."

Before he could reply, the man wheezed and coughed again.

"They knew... you would... come." His bloodied eye looked at her, and a wicked grin formed on his split lips. "You can't... run forever... _doll_."

Her teeth gritted, and she pushed Levi off without a second thought.

"You talk too much." And then she did something that elicited a cry of terror from the man: she wrapped her hand around his tongue and pulled. Her expression didn't change as she watched his eyes widen in agony and fright. "How does it feel ㅡ to have a taste of your own medicine?"

The man didn't get the chance to reply, for the muscle was suddenly torn from his body. A slurping noise was heard as Galene stood up, tongue on her hand. And she didn't look at Levi as she let it drop on the ground and turned away.

"I know you have questions," she said, and her voice gave away her exhaustion. "But I need some time alone now."

Levi only grunted in response, and so the woman stepped into the bathroom and locked the door behind.


End file.
